For the second consecutive Women's Bandy World Championship, (and third out of the past four) the USA Women's Bandy team finished in 5th place.  The 2018 squad had realistic hopes of becoming the first US women's team to win a medal at an international bandy competition, and while the end result was undeniably disappointing, the players and staff took solace in the fact that they were able to take part in the adventure of a lifetime as they traveled to the other side of the globe to represent their country in this illustrious competition.

Held in Chengde, China, the 2018 installment of the Women's Bandy World Championship was unlike anything anyone in the women's bandy family had ever seen before.  Not only was the tournament in China for the first time ever, but also, the games were played on a frozen lake, in the ultra-scenic Chengde Mountain Resort.  This marked the first time that a natural playing surface was used for the games since the inception of Women's World Championships in 2004, and it made for some interesting quirks in the competition.

Leading up to the World Championship, Team USA had worked hard for two years to perfect a passing and skating game plan that made use of its players' outstanding speed and ball control skills.  Upon surveying the ice conditions in China, however, the team quickly concluded that it would have to forgo that plan in favor of an "air attack" game that consisted largely of chipped balls and goalie throws.

Unfortunately, the new strategy was not very effective for the Americans.  The US ladies had a noticeably difficult time scoring goals in the tournament, as they were shut out in all three of their preliminary group play matches.  They lost, 0-5 to defending World Champion, Sweden on January 9th, 0-4 to defending bronze medalist, Norway on January 10th, and 0-5 to defending silver medalist, Russia on January 11th.  These results placed Team USA fourth in the four-team 'A' pool of the competition and meant that they would face Finland, the first seed in the 'B' pool, in a play-in game to decide which team would move on to the semifinals.

The game against Finland on the morning of January 12th turned out to be arguably the best match of the entire tournament.  It was a back-and-forth battle that pitted two very evenly-matched, highly-determined teams against each other with a trip to the medal round on the line.  Team USA finally netted its first goal of the tourney at the 6:52 mark of the match, when veteran forward, Amy Stech lifted a perfect shot over the Finnish goalie that sailed gracefully into one of the top corners of the net.  Unfortunately, Finland marched right down the ice immediately after that and deposited their own perfect shot into the right upper corner of the US goal, less than a minute later.  About halfway through the first stanza, at the 16:18 mark, Team USA countered again, when rookie midfielder, Tam Meuwissen netted her first-ever international bandy goal to give her team a 2-1 lead.  But again, just before the end of the half, at the 22:28 mark, Finland was able to break the US defense and flip the ball high into the US net to tie the game, 2-2.

The match would stay tied at two's for the rest of regulation time, and then move on to not one, but two sudden death overtime periods.  As time continued to elapse, the crowd of spectators around the shores of the lake grew larger and larger.  This group included anxious but patient Norway and Sweden teams who were by this point long overdue to get on the ice and start their semifinal match.  As with regulation time, the overtime periods did not yield a winner, and this contest was destined for a shootout.  The penalty shot format was five rounds, with Team USA shooting first.  Fittingly, after the first five rounds, there still was no winner, as each team had netted two goals in their first round of attempts.  Team USA's shootout goals came from sweeper, Mollie Carroll and fullback, Kari McClintick Roden on beautiful shots to the low corners of the net.  Finally, in the seventh round, a Finnish player ripped a shot into the corner of the net, beating the outstretched leg of US goalie, Sarah Ahlquist Schneider, who had made several outstanding saves to keep her team's hopes alive all throughout the morning.

The loss was devastating and even seemed surreal for the US ladies who had worked so hard to prepare for this moment.  In an instant, it was all over.  ... But thankfully this was not the end of the road.  Later that afternoon, Team USA defeated the host team, China by a score of 6-0 to earn 5th place honors.  Winning a match - at last! - felt good for the Americans, but this final game also provided for a moment to take everything in... The pristine scenery that surrounded the lake was something out of a dream.  Mountain ranges and ancient Chinese architecture provided 360-degree vistas that will undoubtedly stay etched into the memories of the US players and team staff for the rest of their lives.  Moreover, win lose or draw, this was an opportunity for the people on Team USA to represent their country with pride, and to be ambassadors for a sport that has a very bright, promising future.  The US ladies did just that with dignity and grace, and could proudly return home holding their heads high.

Like the sport of bandy as a whole, the USA Women's Bandy program also has a bright future as the team moves on from the 2018 World Championship and looks forward to what lies ahead.  It seems absolutely inevitable that an international bandy medal will be won by the Red White and Blue at some point in the not-so-distant future, and if all goes well, it might not just be for a "World" tournament... But maybe it will come in the form of an "Olympic" competition.

"Keep hoping in tomorrow and one day tomorrow shall manifest your dreams." - Auliq-Ice 

TOURNAMENT NOTES

> For the second consecutive tournament, and eighth time overall, Sweden took home the gold medal.  The Swedes defeated Russia, 1-0 in the championship game.  Norway took home the bronze medal for the second straight tournament, defeating Finland by a score of 5-2 in the 3rd place match.  Two teams who were brand-new to the Women's Bandy World Championship field, Estonia and Switzerland, were pitted against each other in the 7th place game, with Estonia coming out on top of that one by a score of 7-2.

> Six different American players recorded goals in Team USA's 6-0 victory over China in the 5th place game: Kelly McGinty (03:35); Margot Fleming (12:12); Tam Meuwissen (27:25); Jill Reynolds (36:22); Kalli Funk (53:02); Amy Stech (58:44).

> Five US players made their World Championship debut in this tournament.  Halfback, Kalli Funk, midfielder, Tam Meuwissen, and midfielder, Jill Reynolds all logged significant ice time in each of Team USA's five games, and each of them netted a goal in the win over China.  Goalie, Marah Sobczak saw game action in the second halves of both the Russia and China matches.  And US Manager, Katie Lundquist Swor impressively suited up with the squad, as the team was short subs for this tournament.  Swor made her playing debut with a quick stint on the ice against defending champion, Sweden, and then went on to play a regular shift in her team's game against China.  It was an amazing accomplishment for Katie, and the team could not be happier for her!  Additionally, FIB official, Ellie Cardinal, who traveled with Team USA on the journey, became the first US female to officiate a Women's Bandy World Championship.

> Below are the players who were deemed "Best Player of the Match" for each of Team USA's five games...

USA vs Sweden (1/9/18) - Kelly McGinty, midfield

USA vs Norway (1/10/18) - Amy Stech, forward

USA vs Russia (1/11/18) - Mollie Carroll, sweeper

USA vs Finland (1/12/18) - Sarah Ahlquist Schneider, goalie

USA vs China (1/12/18) - Kelsey Kennedy, midfield

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Finally, USA Women's Bandy cannot express enough how grateful the team is to everyone who worked tirelessly to host this wonderful event.  The team would especially like to acknowledge the dozens of Chinese workers and volunteers who toiled around the clock at the site of the games to ensure that the ice quality would be the best that it possibly could be.  Additionally, USA Women's Bandy would like to thank the Chengde Ice and Snow Sports and Roller Skating Association, the Chengde City Administration, the Hebei Provincial Administration, and the organizers of the 2018 Women's Bandy World Championship for putting on an incredible tournament.  Special thanks, also, to all of the staff at the Shenghua Hotel, for making the long stay so comfortable and enjoyable.  It was an unforgettable experience... THANK YOU, CHINA!