The historic joint Korean women's hockey team made its much-anticipated debut against Sweden on Sunday, with 18 South Koreans joined by four North Koreans in their only tuneup game before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
None of those four players -- forwards Jong Su-hyon, Ryo Song-hui and Kim Un-hyang, and defenseman Hwang Chung-gum -- made much of an impact, as Sweden prevailed 3-1 at Seonhak International Ice Rink in Incheon, just west of Seoul.
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Joint team plays at Seonhak International Ice Rink in Incheon (Yonhap) |
The lineup sheet for the Korean team had Jong on the second line, Ryo on the third and Kim on the fourth, with Hwang in the last defensive pairing. Jong's presence on the second line alongside South Koreans Han Soo-jin and Lee Eun-ji came as a surprise. Head coach Sarah Murray, South Korea's bench boss who has taken over the joint team, previously said she didn't think any North Korean would be good enough to crack South Korea's top three lines.
Injuries to some established South Korean players forced Murray's hands, as Caroline Park and Randi Heesoo Griffin were both sidelined for this game. Jong, who is said to have made the strongest impression during training camp, was tapped to provide some offense behind the top line of Park Jong-ah, Grace Lee and Choi Yu-jung.
Ryo, Kim and Hwang were asked to provide grit and toughness in their respective positions.
But the four North Korea players were virtually invisible in the game. Jong had one shot on net in the first period, but that was the extent of her offensive output. Hwang barely got off the bench, as South Korea's usual defensive corps got the bulk of action.
Murray even switched her usual forward, Kim Hee-won, to defense to make room for North Korean forwards, but Kim returned to her usual role as a scoring winger in the second period, which further ate into ice time for Jong and Ryo.
The Koreas reached an agreement on the joint hockey team on Jan. 17, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave the green light three days later. Under the IOC's terms, the Korean team is carrying 35 players in total -- 23 from the South and 12 from the North -- but the actual game day roster will remain unchanged at 22, with 20 skaters and two goaltenders. Murray must put at least three North Koreans into each game.
Because this was the only game to test her players before the Olympics, Murray went with four North Koreans -- one over the minimum required -- and tried to find the right combination.
Talent-wise, there's little question that Caroline Park and Griffin are much better players than any of the North Koreans.
Park, born to South Korean parents in Toronto, starred for Princeton, while Griffin, who has a Korean mother and an American father, played for Harvard.
If they recover in time for the Olympics -- Korea's first game is against Switzerland next Saturday -- then Park and Griffin should return to their rightful places among the top three lines.
Perhaps the easiest way for Murray to meet her "three North Koreans" quota is to stick one forward and two blueliners, or two forwards and one defender, at the bottom of her lineup and stash them on the bench for long stretches. She would then be able to rely on her South Korean workhorses, with whom she's more familiar anyway, though it would put more pressure on them.
Murray has said she will try to pick the three best North Korean players for each game, rather than rotating among 12 North Koreans just so that everyone would get a chance to skate.
Murray said her goal is to win games at the Olympics. But what about the four North Koreans that Murray picked for Sunday's game?
Are they really the four best North Korean players from the current group of 12?
Unless those four make quick improvements over the next five days or so until the Olympics, the joint team's Olympic dreams will be short-lived. (Yonhap)
