07.03.2019,
Beating Canada is always worth a lot.
In the key game of our men's team at the 2019 Universiade in Krasnoyarsk against Canada, we managed to get an important win with three three-pointers. This means a great starting position for the rest of the tournament. The Czechs will face Switzerland and the USA. Both games need to be won to be sure of advancing to the six-team extra time. With a good constellation, one win can be enough. On the other hand, two losses will probably not be enough. The Czech women play an existential match against the Russians. A win gives a theoretical hope for the necessary top six, a loss sends our women to positions seven to nine. In parallel, thanks to YouTube, with a day and a half delay, a number of games from the ongoing Canadian men's championship are available to watch. Several of the top teams are putting on amazing performances on the excellent ice prepared by Jamie Bourassa. Jamie visited Prague a few years ago, at my invitation, and taught the Czech icemakers how to paper the rocks. The conditions in Brandon allow for aggressive play and punish technical flaws and mistakes. The best stones of the championship so far for me are two. Mike McEwen saving his team with a daring stone (angle raise to four meters) at the extreme risk of a three against and a lost game. Kevin Koe's last stone solved a tricky situation that arose after he himself miscued his first stone (a draw just outside the tee-line). Brad Gushue responded with an excellent freeze on the tee and Kevin, with his last stone, (angle raise to a distance of four metres) played in the last ten seconds of the time limit, knocked Brad's stone out and secured the win for his team with a deuce. It's something to watch and highly recommended.
