The players of Smile Japan had plenty of reasons to live up to their team’s nickname on Tuesday at Wukesong Sports Center.
The team’s 3-2 shootout win over the Czech Republic saw it finish atop Group B in the Beijing 2022 women’s ice hockey tournament, assuring that Japan would avoid a quarterfinal matchup against the dominant United States or Canada.
“It’s difficult to play against the United States and Canada, so now we have a little more chance to win, maybe a lot more,” forward Haruka Toko, who scored both goals for Japan, said before Japan learned later on Tuesday night that it would face Finland in Saturday’s quarterfinal.