The Canada hockey national team overpowered Japan from start to finish in the IIHF Women's World Championship quarterfinals on Thursday, April 17, winning 9-1.
Canada, the 2024 world champion, led 2-0 after the opening period.
Mei Miura scored Smile Japan's lone goal midway through the second period, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
But Canada remained in complete control, scoring three times in the second period to take a commanding 5-1 advantage heading into the third period.
Canada outshot Japan 62-6.
Finland awaits a showdown with Canada in the semifinals on Saturday in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic. The other semifinal will feature the United States vs the Czech Republic.
At the 2024 world championship, in Utica, New York, Smile Japan finished seventh.
The national team's best-ever result at the worlds was in 2022, when it placed fifth overall in Denmark.
Reactions After Japan Hockey Team's Defeat
Miura said the lopsided loss will serve as motivation for her team to keep striving to get better.
"In today's game, we were attacked for most of the 60 minutes and were unable to fight on equal terms, making us acutely aware of the difference in level," Miura told reporters. "We accept the result and will work hard for the next season."
Longtime Japan national team player Akane Hosoyamada said that Miura's goal highlighted the squad's emerging confidence on offense.
"The past couple of seasons we were having difficulty scoring," Hosoyamada said.
She added, "It felt like only the same few players were scoring goals, but the other girls are getting up there and pushing themselves. I think that's really good for us."
Basketball
Alvark Outplay SeaHorses in the 4th Quarter
The Alvark Tokyo earned a hard-fought 73-67 victory over the SeaHorses Mikawa in a clash of B.League Central Conference rivals on Wednesday, April 16.
With a determined defensive effort, the Alvark (38-15) held the SeaHorses to 36.2% shooting (25-for-69). Tokyo also had a pivotal 12-0 run capped by a pair of Kai Toews free throws in the fourth quarter to take a 69-62 lead with 29 seconds remaining.
A Ryan Rossiter 3-pointer at the 2:28 mark ignited the key scoring surge, pulling the Alvark within 62-60.
After the game was over, SeaHorses coach Ryan Richman spoke about his team squandering its five-point lead during the Alvark's decisive run.
"Those are usually games we win," Richman told reporters at Yoyogi National Stadium. "Credit to Alvark Tokyo, they just had a good last few minutes down there in the fourth quarter. And for us, we've just got to be better down the stretch."
He added, "Tough finish for us. We've got to learn from it and move on."
Brazilian forward Leonardo Meindl led the Alvark with 21 points and 10 rebounds in 26-plus impactful minutes off the bench. Teammates Sebastian Saiz and Kohei Fukuzawa added 16 points apiece. Mikawa's Jake Layman had a team-high 19 points.
Alvark coach Dainius Adomaitis called it a "very, very good team win." He commended his players for their overall effort.
Also Wednesday, the Ryukyu Golden Kings (40-13) extended their winning streak to 12 with a 98-81 road triumph over the Osaka Evessa.
Baseball
Giants' Yamasaki Extends Scoreless Innings Streak to 23
Yomiuri Giants left-hander Iori Yamasaki pitched seven scoreless innings against the reigning NPB champion Yokohama DeNA BayStars on Wednesday, April 16. Yamasaki combined with two relievers on a six-hit shutout as the Giants topped the BayStars 5-0 at Tokyo Dome.
The 26-year-old struck out 10, walked one and hit one batter while scattering five hits.
Now in his third season with Yomiuri, Yamasaki (3-0) has thrown 23 consecutive scoreless innings to open the season. He's allowed 12 hits, fanned 23 batters and issued only one walk.
Yamasaki went 10-5 in 2023 and had a 10-6 record in '24.
Soccer
Vissel Produce Their 1st Win Streak of the J.League Season
Two-time defending J.League champion Vissel Kobe defeated visiting Kawasaki Frontale 2-1 on Wednesday, April 16, getting goals from Daiju Sasaki (31st minute) and Matheus Thuler (45th).
Vissel, who are 11th out of 20 teams in the standings, have now earned consecutive league wins for the first time in 2025, improving to 4-3-3. In their previous match, Vissel defeated Tokyo Verdy 1-0 on April 12.
Also Wednesday, Shimizu S-Pulse beat Yokohama F Marinos 3-2 and the Urawa Reds prevailed 2-1 over Kyoto Sanga.
Did You Know?
Wednesday, April 16 marked the 20th anniversary of Hozumi Hasegawa's victory over WBC bantamweight champion Veeraphol Sahaprom via a unanimous decision at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. Hasegawa successfully defended the title 10 times between 2005 and '10.
Before the talented boxer retired in 2016, he also captured world titles (both awarded by the WBC) in the featherweight and super bantamweight divisions.
RELATED:
- SPORTS SHORTS | Japan Returns to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals with a Stirring Comeback Over Canada
- Smile Japan Earns Its 4th Consecutive Olympic Ice Hockey Berth
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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