Women's hockey forward sees hope after scoring vs. Sweden
We will admit that we like fairytale endings (also I would like the Swedish National Team to revolt and forcibly overthrow their coach but that’s another story - Nafio), so we were hoping for one win for South Korea this weekend. Scoring one goal and losing by only three in each game against a team ranked 17 places higher than them is pretty good though. In 2014, they were ranked 24th in the world, and now they’ve moved up a division and are hanging in decently with one of the European women’s hockey powers (although their IIHF ranking has technically only risen two spots). This is a really impressive turnaround, and they still have more than six months to improve before the Olympics.

And damn, So-jung Shin. From all reports she got shelled, but she kept them close. As we’ve seen time and again - including this past Worlds at the top level - with an elite goalie, a system, and some luck, you can go pretty far. Like Nana Fujimoto before her, Shin spent last season playing with the New York Riveters, and seeking a higher level of competition for training benefited Team Korea in the same way that Fujimoto’s time in the NWHL benefited Team Japan. Shin spent last season taking practice shots from Amanda Kessel; that’s going to improve anyone’s reflexes.

It’s also exciting that the Korean team is managing to improve as much as they have with Korean players. Every player on the team is of Korean background, even if some of them had to apply for citizenship. Whatever they do this year to make their country proud (and they will make their country proud), the young girls of Korea who will look up to them will see that women who look like they do can play hockey at the highest level. As a Group B team, South Korea will play at least one game against Japan at Pyeongchang, the second Olympic game between two Asian nations and the first since China and Japan played one another in Nagano. Combine that with the CWHL expanding to China, and women’s hockey in Asia is one of the most exciting areas of growth in a rapidly-growing sport.

One interesting detail that viewers might notice is that the Korean national team puts their given names on their jerseys. This may simply be because there are relatively few surnames in Korean, and using surnames instead of given names is less practical when there are five Parks and four Lees on your team. It’s a thing for North American viewers to keep in mind.

Another intriguing detail is that one of the teams they’re planning to play against in their pre-Olympic training is France, another country whose team has experienced significant growth recently. There’s one French National Team member in the CWHL and another on this year’s draft list. France is only ranked nine places higher, so it will be interesting to see how those games go.

International

s/t to Kirsten Whelan for some of the Korean links

Korea suffers 2nd straight loss to Sweden in women's hockey friendly
South Korea suffered a second straight loss to Sweden in their women's hockey friendly game here on Saturday.

Korean-American hockey player enjoying 'incredible ride' with S. Korean women's team
Korean-American hockey player Grace Lee has come a long way -- both literally and figuratively -- to join the South Korean women's national team, just in time for next year's Winter Olympics on home ice.

Pictures of the games from the Korean Ice Hockey Association

Highlights: game one and game two (now geoblocked)

USA Women’s U18 National Festival Roster Analysis - SB Nation College Hockey
Having completed their two national summer camps, USA Hockey has trimmed down the roster for their women’s national U18 team to 31 players—18 forwards, 10 defensemen, and three goalies.

Hockey Canada announces Summer Showcase rosters - The Ice Garden
Team Japan, U SPORTS all-stars, and the Russian U18 side will also participate in the camp

Quatre joueuses de l'Estrie en lice pour l'équipe canadienne de hockey U18 | ICI.Radio-Canada.ca
Quatre joueuses de hockey de l'Estrie s'envoleront vers Calgary dans une semaine pour participer au camp de l'équipe nationale féminine des moins de 18 ans.

Barcelona-Finland fast-tracked
Imagine you start playing ice hockey and two years later you’re on the ice in Finland’s top league. That’s exactly what Spanish women’s national team goalie Alba Gonzalo experienced.

CWHL

CWHL Expansion Offers More Questions Than Answers
It has been nearly three months since The Ice Garden first reported on the CWHL expansion to China.

2017 CWHL Draft Preview | Standout Defenders
On August 1, registration for the CWHL entry draft comes to a close. Once again, Erik posts an article on the draft and the CWHL immediately updates the draft list. Someone is clearly trolling him.

Kohanchuk, Tougas to Sweden - The Ice Garden
Furies playoff hero Jenelle Kohanchuk is moving to MODO. This is... not great. Unless you’re a MODO fan.

Journeywoman Lindsay Grigg Seeks New Home In CWHL
Lindsay Grigg has had an amazing career, and she still has several years left to play.

Former NWHL Players Highlight The 2017 CWHL Draft
The CWHL's expansion into China has changed the landscape of women's professional hockey.

NWHL

Breaking down the NWHL roster expansion - The Ice Garden
Hannah answers a few questions but leaves the door open to bigger ones.

Buffalo Beauts New Netminding Trio Embody Team's New Look
Things seem to be happening in threes for the Buffalo Beauts.

Jacquie Greco re-signs with Beauts - The Ice Garden
The Syracuse alumna and hometown girl is back with Buffalo.

Boston Pride Bring Back 2 Original Defenders
By bringing back original Pride defenders Marissa Gedman and Alyssa Gagliardi for a third NWHL season, Boston has a self-assured blue line.

Kelsey Koelzer's Unique Journey Through Women's Hockey
On March 9, Kelsey Koelzer became the first current college student to sign an NWHL contract.

Riveters Complete Blue Line By Signing Michelle Picard
Michelle Picard became the sixth defender to sign with the New York Riveters on July 26. Picard's re-signing ensures that New York has ...

Faber Returns to Whale, Rivs Add More D
Over 2 seasons, eleven (5g-6a) of Sam Faber's fourteen points for the Connecticut Whale in the NWHL have come in games against the Buffalo Beauts.

U Sports

U SPORTS Women’s Hockey All-Stars to attend Hockey Canada Summer Showcase - U SPORTS - English
Roster includes three players in the CWHL draft

Team China to headline 50th annual Theresa Humes tournament in Montreal - The Ice Garden
The Concordia event’s semicentennial anniversary will also feature Ryerson and Vermont

NCAA

In WCHA-RallyMe campaign, aspiration outplays alarm
With input from commissioner Katie Million, Pucks and Rec assesses the finer, overlooked points of the WCHA-RallyMe drive and what it is geared toward.

The greatest Women's Hockey East freshman-year performances
A number of elite players have played for Women's Hockey East teams. This list ranks the top rookie-season performances since the league's inception.

Mercyhurst hockey finalizing transfers of talented North Dakota trio
Mercyhurst University is close to finalizing transfers of three talented players, including 2014 Olympian Emma Nuutinen.

Shannon Desrosiers rearing, rooting, running, resting and repeating
While Shannon Desrosiers watches her husband build on their hockey foundation, she channels her competitive streak as a prize-winning half-marathon runner.

Minnesota Whitecaps

Minnesota Whitecaps, SDHL to play August exhibition matches - The Ice Garden
Seven days, four matches, and firsts all around as the team sets sights on Stockholm

EWPIHL (England)

Slough Phantoms call it a day – English Ice Hockey Association
One of the most successful teams in the UK womens game, Slough also qualified for the IIHF Womens Champions Cup three times (07/08, 08/09 and 10/11) playing some of the biggest clubs in European hockey.

EWHL(Europe and Asia)

Amie Varano signs with KMH Budapest - Sacred Heart
Former Sacred Heart Captain, Amie Varano has signed a professional hockey contract with KMH Budapest in Hungary

Men’s Hockey

She's Got Game
As she took her first strides on the ice at the Powerade Centre on Friday night, 19-year-old Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin native Rachel Dickinson became the first ever woman to attend the Beast’s annual pro tryout camp.

Women's HockeyCanadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL)