Niko Hovinen, the Golden Lion, analyzes the goalkeeping setups of the World Hockey World Cup final.
In the goalkeeping game of the World Cup final, mental capacity is measured above all, believes 2011 world champion Niko Hovinen.
On Sunday, Finland will face host Switzerland, which has not lost a single match during the tournament, in the final match of the Ice Hockey World Cup. Justus Annunen guards the Lions’ goal, and Leonardo Genoni starts between the posts for Switzerland.
Former lion keeper Hovinen considers the goalkeeping setups to be very balanced. He sees that the goalkeeping advantage is on the side of both teams.
– Both have played a top season and a top tournament. It’s hard to see that the match will be decided by the goalkeeper’s game, Hovinen estimates.
Justus Annunen is facing a tough spot in the Finnish goal. Pasi Liesimaa
Genoni has played six matches in the tournament, in which he has conceded only three goals in total. The strike percentage is a whopping 97.3. Annunen has conceded 12 goals in seven matches with a save percentage of 92.5.
So the statistics would be on Genon’s side, but of course they don’t tell everything.
– Switzerland has played extremely well as a team. You wouldn’t get numbers like that otherwise, says Hovinen.
Leonardo Genoni has extremely hard save statistics in the World Cup tournament. Pasi Liesimaa
The countries met each other in the last match of the first group on Tuesday. At that time, Finland took its only loss of the tournament so far with goals 4–2.
Annunen conceded three goals in Finland’s goal, as Switzerland’s fourth goal was scored. The team’s second keeper Reto Berra played in Switzerland’s goal.
– Annunen did not play badly by any means, but it was certainly not his best game, says Hovinen.
– I think he had a suitable cavity in his tooth, and now it’s probably nice to fix it. When he finishes this game, no one will remember the previous Switzerland game.
Annunen conceded three goals against Switzerland in the first group match. Pasi Liesimaa
Hovinen sees that Annus and Genon have similar strengths: Both are calm and well positioned goalkeepers with excellent game reading skills. However, they are separated by size: Annunen is a rather large guard at 193 centimeters, which is a big advantage for him. My knee is 11 centimeters shorter.
On the other hand, the 38-year-old Genon has more experience than the 26-year-old Finn.
– Playing Genon looks really easy, which comes pretty much through the experience. His playing style has been honed to a pretty good shape over the years, Hovinen praises.
Heavy pressure
When there are two equally strong goalkeepers on the field, mental strength is decisive. In Hovisen’s opinion, in the final, the measure is especially how the goalkeepers are able to withstand the inexorable pressure, when there is only one match left to decide the winner.
The fact that one of the final teams is the host will surely increase the pressure.
– Switzerland has a huge home crowd behind them, and the pressure is sure to be tough. Mental capacity plays a big role in that. Now let’s test how the onion will last, Hovinen sees.
The situation can also be turned into a strength, thinks Hovinen.
– How many times does a goalkeeper get into such a situation? Maybe it can also be turned around so that you can enjoy it, he says.
The Switzerland-Finland final match will be played in Zurich, Switzerland from 21:20.
