Team China falls to Gaels

Women’s hockey beats Chinese national team in front of 200 fans

The Chinese women’s hockey team visited Kingston last Wednesday to play the Queen’s team as part of a 20-game tour across Canada to prepare for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

The Queen’s women’s team beat Team China 6-1 at the Invista Centre last Wednesday. Kingston and the Islands MP Ted Hsu was on the ice for the ceremonial puck drop. This was the eighth game and seventh loss of Team China’s Canada tour. The tour started last month and will run until Nov. 16.

The Chinese team was one of eight teams that competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics, but was knocked out after losing all three games in the first round.

Captain Kristin Smith said the Chinese team was fast, but struggled to keep up with the Gaels’ physical play.

The team hired Mikhail Chekanov and brought in eight new players three months ago. Chekanov doesn’t speak English or Mandarin and uses a translator to coach his team.

Chekanov — a former coach with Spartak Moscow of the Russian Kontinental Hockey League — said the Queen’s team had a better understanding of the game.

He said his team’s level of play has fallen since its roster changes.

“The team needs to build the technical, mental and physical aspects of its game,” he told the Journal.

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