Cats Against Cats

It isn't often that I watch a lot of preseason hockey in the middle of August, but I made an exception today. I was working while the game was being played so I admittedly missed parts of the action, but the Regina Cougars women's hockey team made the trek to Finland where they were playing a series of three games over five days while doing some sight-seeing and activities when they weren't on the ice. They have been posting some of those activities on their Instagram page so feel free to check those out, but the Cougars were looking to conquer Finnish hockey this weekend over their three preseason, friendly games in Suomi!

Today, though, they were on the ice to battle the Tampereen Ilves Naisten team as both teams get set for their respective seasons with a preseason tilt. The "Lynx" - Ilves in Finnish - are the oldest women's team in the Auroraliiga, so there's a lot of hockey history behind the women who took the ice tonight. The Cougars were playing their first official game under new head coach Brandy West-McMaster, so we'd get a chance to see the new-look Cougars against Finland's most historic women's team!

Before we get into this mini-recap, let's remember that this is the first game for the Regina Cougars on the 2024-25 campaign. I wasn't expecting major changes or a massive overhaul of players on the roster, and neither of those situations seems to have taken place over the summer. West-McMaster, for all intents and purposes, has the roster that was predicted, and she's rolling with what the players know for systems and plays. Until they get back to Canada, I wouldn't expect her to change much other than a few details. In saying that, temper the expectations for the recap here.

From the moment the puck was dropped, it was clear that the experience and preparation that Ilves had on its side was on display as they controlled the first period almost the entire way through the frame. They scored on the power-play early in the game, they scored down-low, they scored shorthanded, and they scored at even-strength. Regina's play mostly came from the perimeter in Tampere's zone, but they did get shots through to the net. However, after 20 minutes of play, Ilves held a 4-0 lead in what was a forgettable debut in Finland for the southern Saskatchewan team.

I will say that the shorthanded goal scored by Emma Katajamäki might be one that Natalie Williamson wants back. Again, remembering that it's preseason and the first organized game makes this mistake less egregious, but Katajamäki led the rush down the left side on a two-on-one, and never even bothered to look across the ice as she appeared to be thinking shot the entire time. Williamson was deep in her crease on this play, giving Katajamäki a clear look at the right side of the net based on her vantage point, and she'd go top-corner on that right side past the glove of Williamson for the shorthanded marker and the 3-0 lead. In watching the game, this is a very correctable mistake with the Regina defender giving Williamson the shooter, but this is why preseason games help.

The other thing I noticed in the first period was the Regina power-play formation as they appear to be using the old "Zdeno Chara" idea in this game. As the teams lined up for the face-off, I noticed six-foot defender Quinn Sutherland on the left side of the face-off dot. Quinn wasn't on the power-play for the St. Mary's Academy Flames very often because she's a far better defensive defender than she is on the offensive side of the puck, but it made me smile when I saw her go to the front of the net where her big frame was used to screen Ilves' netminder Melisa Mörönen. Regina didn't convert with Quinn playing in her new power-play role, but she did an excellent job in battling for position and being a problem for Mörönen. Might this be a new wrinkle for the Cougars this season?

The final score in this one was 5-0 for Ilves as the home side used that first-period explosion of goals to carry them to victory, but Regina looked very similar to last season when it came to Ilves finding their spots. Regina struggled down low in the defensive zone, their man-to-man coverage became chaos during drives to the net and goalmouth scrambles, special teams need a pile of work, and they need to attack the middle of the offensive zone with more frequency and more urgency. The speed and talent is there as they did manage a few high-quality chances, but Ilves often had numbers in the defensive zone to counter the attacks, and they were far more controlled at breakouts and zone entries than the Cougars were.

Before anyone jumps all over me for that assessment, I want to state, again, that's it's Game #1 for the Regina Cougars in the 2024-25 preseason and season. There's still lots to work on and figure out for the Cougars' coaching staff, and they'll have lots of material to review and improve upon after this game. That's not a negative in any way - teams should be looking for ways to improve and build as they head towards the regular season. This could prove vitally important for a second reason as Brandy West-McMaster looks to implement different strategies and tactics from what the Cougars already use. If something is broken, she could fix it by changing it altogether. Either way, the Cougars have some things to review as they continue their preseason Finnish road trip!

They'll be in Helsinki on Sunday to play the two-time defending Aurora Borealis Cup champion HIFK Naiset, and that should be a fun game to watch. I haven't seen any streaming options for it yet, but I'm hoping that HIFK has something available. We'll see if any changes are made for the Cougars as they get set for Game Two in their Finnish expedition, but Game One was a good start for a team looking to improve upon their standing next season. Onnea Cougars!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!