After a disappointing relegation at the 2024 World Championship, Poland was back with an early-season IIHF tournament. This event marked the start of the women’s Olympic qualifiers and the beginning of Poland’s IIHF calendar. It would also mark the beginning of a new era for the national team as Arkadiusz Sobecki began his tenure as head coach. But how would his debut go in the three-game tournament? 

The tournament started with an interesting challenge in Chinese Taipei. Poland has had a few matches with them over the years. This experience made them aware of the challenge of star goalie Ai Chung. It looked like Chung was giving Chinese Taipei a chance to steal another game after keeping game one tied at one. This tie was despite Poland leading in shots 33-9. Poland would break through in the third period, winning game one 5-1. In game two, Poland faced off with Mexico. Mexico played an okay first period and kept Poland to one goal. The dam would break, and Poland cruised to an easy 9-0 victory. This set up the expected result for the tournament’s final day as South Korea and Poland would battle for promotion. South Korea was the better team through two periods. But Sass stood tall, and a powerplay goal by Sikorska had Poland leading 1-0. With South Korea desperate, Poland would play their best, scoring four in the final frame and finishing off South Korea with a 5-0 final. The women’s national team is heading to the final qualification round for the second straight Olympic cycle. 

Poland beats South Korea 5-0!

Sikorska 1G 1A
Karolina Pozniewska 1G 1A
Sass 32 SVS

They move on to the final round of Olympic qualification, sweeping their group and only allowing a single goal in three games. pic.twitter.com/8aT77D76O6

— Polish Puck (@PolandHockey) December 15, 2024

The Wall of Sass

Martyna Sass continues to prove she is one of the best goalies in Europe. She faced 61 shots and allowed only a single goal across three games. Her shutout against South Korea was the most impressive. Most of South Korea’s chances were in high-dangerous areas in the first two periods, but Sass allowed nothing. When Sass is on her game, she brings Poland to a new level. 

The Cavalry Has Arrived

My biggest concern with Team Poland has been its lack of finish. The team has struggled to score goals in previous international matches and the EWHL. This tournament showed all of Poland’s firing power, as they scored 19 goals in just three games. The most promising thing is that it was not just Poland’s top line that scored goals; 12 different skaters scored a goal for Poland. The powerplay also looked much improved and finished with a 30% success rate, the best in the tournament. 

2-0 🇵🇱

Ewelina Czarnecka, in her 16th IIHF tournament, doubles the Polish lead! pic.twitter.com/GufDne92bX

— Polish Puck (@PolandHockey) December 15, 2024

Superstar Sikorska 

The next face of the national team, Wiktoria Sikorska, was leading the charge offensively. Sikorska had a fantastic tournament. When she was on the ice and rushing the puck, you saw a player better than the level of play. There is a particular rush against South Korea in the third period, where, although she didn’t score, you could feel how dangerous everyone knew she was. It was a one-on-two, and the crowd immediately got to their feet. While the Korean defenders had the advantage, you could tell they were not ready and nervous. Sikorska would bypass both and drive to the net for a high-quality scoring chance. 

The Korea Game

The game versus South Korea represents the same story of what Polish hockey has been for the past few years, except this time, it had a different ending. Poland was the inferior team in the first two periods and depended on their top line and goaltender to keep them in. The odds didn’t seem great for Poland when the rest of the lineup was out there. Despite the 1-0 lead through two periods, they were outshot 25-13. The third period showed a new team, Poland. All four lines were rolling, and Poland felt like the better team, or even at every level. Ida Talanda really impressed me in the third and was a significant play driver. Eventually, Poland took over, getting four goals; two were on an empty net. When South Korea was the most desperate and needed to score, Poland was the better team. 

What’s Next? 

Poland is on to the next and final qualification round, which means some fierce competition. From February 6th to the 9th, they’ll be in Tomakomai, Japan, to face off with Japan (7th ranked IIHF country), China (12th), and France (13th). With Poland at 20th, the path to promotion is likely limited. When Poland advanced to the final round in 2022, they lost their three games, 11-1 to Hungary, 16-0 to Czechia, and 7-1 to Norway. I think this draw will be a bit better for Poland, but this tournament is where you’re just looking to keep it competitive. 

Quick Thoughts 

• Congrats to Nadia Ratajczyk on making her IIHF senior debut with Poland. The young goalie came in to finish the game against Mexico, stopping the lone shot she faced. 
• Congrats to Arkadiusz Sobecki and his staff on a great debut. Poland looked strong throughout the event. 
• Poland’s success is even more impressive when you consider that they were without two top defenders. Julia Zielinska could not attend due to NCAA commitments, while Klaudia Chrapek was injured. Hopefully, both will be able to return in February. 
• Defenseman Dominika Korkuz scored one goal in 53 IIHF games with Poland before this tournament, and she scored twice against Chinese Taipei. 
• Tatiana Onyshchenko was the snake-bitten player of the tournament as despite ten shots and some very good chances, she came up goalless.

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Thumbnail Photo via polskihokej.eu