Switzerland defeated Japan 3-1 for its second straight win in the women's hockey tournament at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics here on Monday.
Forward Sara Benz scored twice in the second period, and Alina Muller added another in the third at Kwandong Hockey Centre, as Switzerland moved to the top of Group B with six points. The Swiss beat the joint Korean team 8-0 on Saturday.
Japan has now lost two straight games, having fallen to Sweden 2-1 on Saturday. Japan will next face Korea at 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, while Switzerland's last Group B game will be against Sweden at 12:10 p.m. Wednesday.
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(Yonhap) |
Switzerland managed just one shot on goal in the first period against Japan's seven, and looked nothing like the team that toyed with the Korean defense only two days earlier.
The Swiss offense looked more in sync in the second period, and Benz netted two power play goals in a three-minute span.
Then Muller, who scored four times against Korea, made it 3-0 with an unassisted breakaway goal at 4:27 in the third.
Hanae Kubo got one back for Japan by redirecting in a Mika Hori point shot, but that was all the offense Japan could muster, despite outshooting Switzerland 38-18.
Japan rolled the dice when it pulled goalie Nana Fujimoto for an extra attacker with 3:46 left, but couldn't get one past Florence Schelling in the Swiss net.
Japan played without second line center Rui Ukita, who was suspended for one game for a kicking incident during Saturday's 2-1 loss to Sweden. (Yonhap)
