2020–21 ZhHL season

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2020–21 ZhHL season
LeagueZhenskaya Hockey League
SportIce hockey
Duration
  • Regular season
  • 3 October 2020 –
    27 February 2021
  • Playoffs
  • 3 March – 11 September
Number of matches112
Number of teams8
TV partner(s)KHL TV
YouTube
Regular season
Season championsKRS Vanke Rays
  Runners-upAgidel Ufa
Season MVPValeria Merkusheva (SKIF)
Top scorerAlex Carpenter (Vanke Rays)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPOlga Sosina (Agidel)
Finals championsAgidel Ufa
  Runners-upKRS Vanke Rays
Seasons
← 2019–20

The 2020–21 ZhHL season was the sixth season of the Zhenskaya Hockey League (ZhHL) since the league was established in 2015. It was the 26th season in which the women's ice hockey Russian Championship was contested.

League business[edit]

Team changes[edit]

In the first week of July 2020, Dynamo St. Petersburg unexpectedly announced that they would be withdrawing from the league immediately, due to insufficient funding.[1] Seven Dynamo players were then signed by SK Gorny St. Petersburg, but that club soon ran into financial difficulties as well, due in large part to being dropped by their main sponsor.[2]

A few weeks after Dynamo's folding, the league announced the creation of a new team, МSМО 7.62 to fill the vacancy. Playing out of Podmoskovie Ice Palace in Voskresensk, Moscow Oblast, 7.62's roster was filed entirely by players 18 and under, several of whom were members of the Russian national junior team.[3]

Ultimately, SK Gorny was unable to attract sufficient sponsor investment and folded. Facing the very real possibility of St. Petersburg having zero ZhHL teams active for the 2020–21 season, a partnership between the junior department of HC Dinamo Saint Petersburg and the SKA-Neva club was able to establish a new team at the last moment. The team, called Dinamo-Neva Saint Petersburg (also romanized as Dynamo-Neva), included players from the 2019–20 rosters of both Dynamo St. Petersburg and SK Gorny and was coached by Russian women's national team head coach Yevgeni Bobariko.

Schedule[edit]

On 19 August 2020, the league released its schedule for the season, with the opening matches to be played on the 19 September. The schedule included a two-month gap without any games from December to February, time that could be used to accommodate rescheduling due to the pandemic and in which the league's All-Star Game and the 2021 Winter Universiade would be held (the Universiade was later rescheduled for December 2021 and ultimately cancelled).[4] However, a day before the season was due to begin, the league postponed the start of the season to 3 October after encountering issues securing Russian visas for KRS Vanke Rays players – all but two of whom were international players – and in the hopes that SK Gorny may find sufficient sponsorships to participate. The delay also allowed teams to hold a short pre-season training camp.[5]

Showcases[edit]

On 22 December 2020, the Russian national ZhHL team (active ZhHL players who are also members of the Russian national team) competed in the second annual "Priceless Match" (Russian: Бесценный матч, romanized: Bestsennyy match), an outdoor showcase game which pits the team against a men's team of high-profile Russian retired athletes, business executives, and arts and entertainment personalities.[6][7]

COVID-19 impact[edit]

KRS Vanke Rays temporarily relocated from Shenzhen Dayun Arena in Shenzhen to the Ice Palace V.M. Bobrova in Stupino, Moscow Oblast for the 2020–21 season due to the increased immigration restrictions for entry into Russia that were implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia.[8]

Players are tested for the virus once every five days, and before the start of every game.[9][10][11]

Broadcasting[edit]

The league streamed many games on its official YouTube channel, the same streaming option used in the previous season. In Russia, select games were also aired on the KHL TV channel.

Limited public attendance was permitted at games throughout much of the season.

Teams[edit]

Team Location Home venue Head coach Captain
7.62 Russia Voskresensk Podmoskovie Ice Palace Alexander Syrtsov Darya Kovalenko
Agidel Russia Ufa Ice Palace Salavat Yulaev Denis Afinogenov Maria Pechnikova
Biryusa Russia Krasnoyarsk LD Sokol Alexander Vedernikov Valeria Pavlova
Dinamo-Neva Russia Saint Petersburg Sports Palace "SPBGBU CFMC and VO" Yevgeni Bobariko Alyona Andryushchenko
KRS Vanke Rays China Shenzhen Shenzhen Dayun Arena Brian Idalski Alex Carpenter
Russia Stupino* Ice Palace V.M. Bobrova*
SKIF Russia Nizhny Novgorod Trade Union Sport Palace Vladimir Golubovich Angelina Goncharenko
SKSO Russia Yekaterinburg Kurganovo Sports Complex/KRK Uralets Sergei Chistyakov Yekaterina Lebedeva
Tornado Russia Dmitrov Dmitrov Sports Complex Alexei Chistyakov Anna Shokhina

*Temporary relocation for 2020–21 season[8]

Standings[edit]

The regular season began on 3 October 2020 and concluded on 27 February 2021, with the four most successful teams securing playoff berths.

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Final Result
1 KRS Vanke Rays 28 24 2 0 2 130 29 +101 76 Clinch playoffs
2 Agidel 28 19 1 1 7 127 47 +80 60
3 SKIF 28 17 4 1 6 83 37 +46 60
4 Biryusa 28 13 2 4 9 81 79 +2 47
5 Dinamo-Neva 28 12 1 3 12 74 64 +10 41 Do not qualify
6 Tornado 28 10 1 2 15 90 88 +2 34
7 7.62 28 2 2 0 24 25 143 −118 10
8 SKSO 28 2 0 2 24 25 148 −123 8
Updated to match(es) played on 27 February 2021. Source: KHL[12]

The KRS Vanke Rays claimed their first regular season championship title after registering an exceptional 76 point season with a 26-2–0 win–loss record. The KRS Vanke Rays victory decisively ended the three-season reign of Agidel Ufa as regular season champs, with Agidel finishing sixteen points behind the Vanke Rays with a 20-7-1 record. SKIF Nizhny Novgorod improved from sixth place in the 2019–20 regular season to claim third place in 2020–21 and were the only team to pose a legitimate threat to Agidel's position in second, ultimately tying Agidel with 60 points and winning more games overall but prevented from higher ranking by an excess of overtime wins in relation to relegation victories. Biryusa Krasnoyarsk claimed fourth place in a repeat of the previous season and trailing the other top ranked teams, with 47 points and a 15-9-4 record.

Player statistics[edit]

Scoring leaders[edit]

The following skaters lead the league in points at the conclusion of the regular season on 27 February 2021.[13]

Player Team Pos. GP G A Pts +/− PIM
1 Alex Carpenter Vanke Rays C 28 29 27 56 44 6
2 Anna Shokhina Tornado RW 28 26 27 53 17 30
3 Olga Sosina Agidel LW 27 18 32 50 33 28
4 Nicol Čupková Agidel F 25 15 28 43 20 14
5 Valeria Pavlova Biryusa F 27 16 23 39 13 8
6 Hannah Miller Vanke Rays F 28 17 20 37 24 28
7 Megan Bozek Vanke Rays D 28 13 23 36 39 20
8 Anna Shibanova Agidel D 28 9 26 35 39 42
9 Nina Pirogova Tornado D 28 14 20 34 17 26
10 Rachel Llanes Vanke Rays F 28 14 20 33 33 20

KRS Vanke Rays centre and captain Alex Carpenter claimed her second consecutive ZhHL scoring title, averaging two points per game across 28 games and ending the campaign with a total of 56 points (29 goals + 27 assists). Tornado winger and captain Anna Shokhina posted the second highest point total, tallying 53 points (26+27) in 28 games. Carpenter and Shokhina also ranked first and second league for goals, with 29 and 26 respectively. Agidel Ufa winger and alternate captain Olga Sosina topped the league in assists, notching 32 in 27 games and ranking third in scoring with 50 points (18+32).

Megan Bozek of the KRS Vanke Rays was the highest scoring defenceman, earning 36 points (13+23) and ranking eighth overall. Bozek was narrowly followed by defenders Anna Shibanova of Agidel Ufa, with 35 points (9+26), and Nina Pirogova of Tornado Dmitrov, with 34 points (14+20).

Four of the league's eight teams were represented on the list of top ten point leaders for the season: the KRS Vanke Rays, with three forwards and one defenceman; the Agidel Ufa, with two forwards and one defenceman; the Tornado Dmitrov, with one forward and one defenceman; and the Biryusa Krasnoyarsk, represented by forward and captain Valeria Pavlova.

The following players were the top goal scorers of teams not represented in the top ten of the league, listed with their overall league rank:

Top goaltenders[edit]

The following goaltenders lead the league in save percentage at the conclusion of games played on 27 February 2021, while playing a minimum of 600 minutes.[14]

Player Team GP TOI W L SA GA SO SV% GAA
1 Kimberly Newell Vanke Rays 18 993:40 15 1 311 12 6 .961 0.72
2 Valeria Merkusheva SKIF 22 1241:35 11 7 509 30 4 .941 1.45
3 Anna Prugova Agidel 18 1041:29 13 3 483 29 5 .940 1.67
4 Darya Gredzen Biryusa 21 1241:37 11 8 647 50 6 .923 2.42
5 Nadezhda Morozova Dinamo-Neva 19 964:40 10 6 449 35 1 .922 2.18
6 Diana Farkhutdinova Dinamo-Neva 15 704:56 3 7 337 27 2 .920 2.30
7 Maria Sorokina Agidel 11 631:52 6 5 220 18 3 .918 1.71
8 Anna Alpatova Tornado 18 770:44 6 8 336 39 2 .884 3.04
9 Ravilya Ainullova SKSO 19 962:48 1 15 736 86 0 .883 5.36
10 Yeva Gubareva Tornado 19 905:20 5 8 398 48 1 .879 3.18
11 Yulia Volkova 7.62 26 1369:38 2 21 822 100 0 .878 4.38

Top backups[edit]

The following goaltenders served as secondary or backup goaltenders, playing a minimum of 240 minutes but fewer than 600 minutes in the 2020–21 season. Players are ranked by save percentage at the conclusion of the regular season on 27 February 2021.[14]

Player Team GP TOI W L SA GA SO SV% GAA
1 Valeria Tarakanova SKIF 8 387:57 5 0 149 7 3 .953 1.08
2 Milena Tretyak Vanke Rays 8 415:37 7 0 109 7 2 .936 1.01
3 Noora Räty Vanke Rays 5 256:28 4 1 102 10 1 .902 2.34
4 Alyona Ashina Biryusa 8 373:53 4 2 204 21 0 .897 3.37
5 Irina Kostina SKSO 14 590:41 1 7 355 43 1 .879 4.37
6 Sofya Larova 7.62 12 243:46 0 2 136 30 0 .779 7.38

Playoffs[edit]

Bracket[edit]

Semifinals Finals
      
1 KRS Vanke Rays 2
4 Biryusa Krasnoyarsk 0
2nd place, silver medalist(s) KRS Vanke Rays 1
1st place, gold medalist(s) Agidel Ufa 2
2 Agidel Ufa 2
3 SKIF Nizhny Novgorod 1

Semifinals[edit]

(1) KRS Vanke Rays vs. (4) Biryusa[edit]

Vanke Rays – Biryusa 2–0
3 March 2021 Vanke Rays Biryusa 3-0
4 March 2021 Biryusa Vanke Rays 2-4
KRS Vanke Rays won the series in two games.

All game times in Moscow Time (UTC+03:00)

3 March 2021 (2021-03-03)
09:00		Biryusa Krasnoyarsk0–3
(0–1, 0–1, 0–1)		KRS Vanke RaysFakel Ice Palace, Krasnoyarsk
Attendance: 68
Game reference
Darya GredzenGoaliesKimberly NewellReferees:
Darya Abrosimova
Darya Ermak
Linesmen:
Anastasia Vasilyeva
Diana Mokhova
0–108:23 – Llanes (Bozek, Miller)
0–228:08 – Miller (Bozek) (PP)
0–351:15 – Llanes (Mills)
6 minPenalties10 min
19Shots34
4 March 2021 (2021-03-04)
09:00		Biryusa Krasnoyarsk2–4
(0–1, 1–2, 1–1)		KRS Vanke RaysFakel Ice Palace, Krasnoyarsk
Attendance: 55
Game reference
Darya GredzenGoaliesKimberly NewellReferees:
Darya Abrosimova
Darya Ermak
Linesmen:
Anastasia Vasilyeva
Diana Mokhova
0–116:06 – Costales (Hanson, Tse)
0–220:27 – Carpenter (Bozek, Miller) (PP)
0–331:26 – Mills (Lum, Tougas)
Zenchenko (Kuznetsova) – 39:111–3
Mitrofanova – 50:582–3
2–456:15 – Miller (Bozek, Llanes) (PP)
14 minPenalties10 min
15Shots46

(2) Agidel Ufa vs. (3) SKIF[edit]

Agidel – SKIF 2–1
3 March 2021 (2021-03-03) SKIF Agidel 3-2 GWS
4 March 2021 (2021-03-04) Agidel SKIF 2-1 GWS
7 March 2021 (2021-03-07) Agidel SKIF 3-2 GWS
Agidel won the series 2–1.

All game times in Moscow Time (UTC+03:00)

3 March 2021 (2021-03-03)
13:00		SKIF Nizhny Novgorod3–2 GWS
(1–1, 1–1, 0–0)
(OT: 0–0)
(SO: 1–0)		Agidel UfaTrade Union Sport Palace, Nizhny
Attendance: 100
Game reference
Valeria MerkushevaGoaliesMaria SorokinaReferees:
Yana Zueva
Arina Ustinova
Linesmen:
Polina Danilova
Julia Lavelina
0–100:37 – Sosina (Makhmutova)
Kulishova (Provorova, Bratischeva) (PP2) – 09:151–1
1–235:19 – Markova (Shibanova)
Provorova (Starovoitova) – 38:062–2
Malyavko GOAL
Tejralová MISS
Smolina MISS
Kulishova MISS
Falyakhova MISS
Shchukina MISS
Falyakhova MISS
Malyavko GOAL		ShootoutKorzhakova MISS
Shibanova GOAL
Markova MISS
Čupková MISS
Sosina MISS
Batalova MISS
Luchnikova MISS
Sosina MISS
4 minPenalties6 min
20Shots25
6 March 2021 (2021-03-06)
11:00		Agidel Ufa2–1 GWS
(1–1, 0–0, 0–0)
(OT: 0–0)
(SO: 1–0)		SKIF Nizhny NovgorodIce Palace Salavat Yulaev, Ufa
Attendance: 180
Game reference
Maria SorokinaGoaliesValeria MerkushevaReferees:
Yana Zueva
Arina Ustinova
Linesmen:
Polina Danilova
Julia Lavelina
0–108:14 – Ananyina (Likhachyova)
Rodnova (Sosina) – 09:351–1
Rodnova MISS
Shibanova MISS
Beloglazova GOAL
Korzhakova MISS
Batalova MISS
Beloglazova MISS
Čupková GOAL
Čupková GOAL		ShootoutMalyavko GOAL
Likhachyova MISS
Smolina MISS
Kulishova MISS
Falyakhova MISS
Malyavko MISS
Falyakhova GOAL
Falyakhova MISS
6 minPenalties10 min
42Shots27
7 March 2021 (2021-03-07)
11:00		Agidel Ufa3–2 GWS
(0–2, 0–0, 2–0)
(OT: 0–0)
(SO: 1–0)		SKIF Nizhny NovgorodIce Palace Salavat Yulaev, Ufa
Attendance: 220
Game reference
Maria SorokinaGoaliesValeria MerkushevaReferees:
Yana Zueva
Arina Ustinova
Linesmen:
Polina Danilova
Julia Lavelina
0–114:05 – Falyakhova (Kulishova, Shchukina)
0–218:06 – Tejralová (Likhachyova, Starovoitova)
Rodnova (Sosina, Sviridova) – 55:171–2
Sosina (Korzhakova, Shibanova) (EA) – 59:402–2
Shibanova MISS
Čupková MISS
Beloglazova MISS
Tyurina MISS
Mitrofanova GOAL
Sosina MISS
Čupková MISS
Mitrofanova MISS
Markova MISS
Batalova MISS
Sosina GOAL		ShootoutStarovoitova GOAL
Malinovskaya MISS
Likhachyova MISS
Nadezhdina MISS
Falyakhova MISS
Tejralová MISS
Falyakhova MISS
Likhachyova MISS
Starovoitova MISS
Falyakhova MISS
Shchukina MISS
4 minPenalties4 min
50Shots29

ZhHL Cup Final[edit]

Originally scheduled to be begin on 13 March 2021, the ZhHL announced a postponement of the Zhenskaya Hockey League Cup finals following a positive COVID-19 test for an Agidel player.[15] On 22 March, the league announced that the finals would be postponed until after the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship Top Division tournament, which had been rescheduled to be held from 6–16 May in Nova Scotia, Canada. The delay became necessary as the required quarantine for Agidel would have created conflicts with the preparations of several national teams for the World Cup. Both teams had a number of national team players: Agidel had several players representing Russia and one player representing the Czech Republic, and the KRS Vanke Rays had players representing the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, the United States, and several Canadian prospects. At the time of announcement, dates for the rescheduled finals had not been determined.[16]

Ultimately, the 2021 World Championship in Nova Scotia was canceled and the tournament was relocated to Calgary and played during 20–31 August. As promised, the ZhHL Championship Finals were played following Worlds and began on 7 September. This created an unusual situation in which the KRS Vanke Rays participated in the playoff final with a roster of twelve or more players who had not played in the 2020–21 regular season or first round of the playoffs and lost several key players, including captain Alex Carpenter. In contrast, Agidel Ufa added only one player – 15 year old Maria Mikaelyan – and participated in the final with a nearly identical roster to the 2020–21 season.

All game times in Moscow Time (UTC+03:00)

7 September 2021 (2021-09-07)
14:00		Agidel Ufa5–2
(3–1, 1–0, 1–1)		KRS Vanke RaysUfa Sports Palace
Attendance: 180
Game reference
Anna PrugovaGoaliesKimberly Newell
Sviridova (Korzhakova) – 00:341–0
Sosina – 02:422–0
2–107:06 – Karvinen (Cava, Nordin)
Lucák-Čupková (Batalova, Sosina) (PP) – 09:213–1
Luchnikova (Markova, Pechnikova) – 24:444–1
4–248:01 – Mills (Tapani)
Markova (Lucák-Čupková, Rodnova) (ENG) – 58:395–2
2 minPenalties6 min
30Shots38
10 September 2021 (2021-09-10)
14:00		KRS Vanke Rays4–1
(0–1, 1–0, 3–0)		Agidel UfaMytishchi Arena
Attendance: 147
Game reference
Kimberly NewellGoaliesAnna Prugova
0–111:24 – Mitrofanova
Karvinen (Tse) – 29:571–1
Tapani (Houston) – 43:062–1
Karvinen (Houston) – 45:363–1
Mills (Tapani, Houston) (PP) – 51:114–1
12 minPenalties10 min
41Shots21
11 September 2021 (2021-09-11)
13:00		KRS Vanke Rays2–3 GWS
(1–1, 0–0, 1–1)
(OT: 0–0)
(SO: 0–1)		Agidel UfaMytishchi Arena
Attendance: 158
Game reference
Kimberly NewellGoaliesMaria Sorokina
0–112:05 – Mikaelyan (Korzhakova, Sviridova)
Lum (Tiessen, Cava) – 14:141–1
Mills (Cogan) – 45:052–1
2–256:45 – Markova (Luchnikova, Rodnova)
Karvinen GOAL
Tuominen MISS
Nordin MISS
Cava GOAL
Tapani MISS
Karvinen MISS
Houston MISS		ShootoutLuchnikova MISS
Mitrofanova GOAL
Čupková MISS
Korzhakova MISS
Sosina GOAL
Sosina MISS
Sosina GOAL
4 minPenalties8 min
42Shots32

References[edit]

  1. ^ Murphy, Mike (7 July 2020). "Dynamo St. Petersburg shut down, won't play in 2020-21 ZhHL season". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  2. ^ Murphy, Mike (18 September 2020). "2020-21 ZhHL Season Preview". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  3. ^ Jay, Michelle (7 August 2020). "ZhHL adds team for 2020-21 season". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  4. ^ Jay, Michelle (19 August 2020). "ZhHL releases 2020-2021 schedule". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  5. ^ Jay, Michelle (18 September 2020). "ZhHL 2020-21 season start pushed to Oct. 3". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Сборная ЖХЛ – участник Бесценного матча". whl.khl.ru (in Russian). 21 December 2020. Archived from the original on 21 December 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Бесценный матч Мастеркард и КХЛ". whl.khl.ru (in Russian). 10 January 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  8. ^ a b Berkman, Seth (16 November 2020). "While Training Continues, China's Prized Women's Hockey Players Are in Russia". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  9. ^ MacDonald, Glenn (13 November 2020). "Ex-SMU hockey captain Kiana Wilkinson on her own in Russia". The Chronicle Herald. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  10. ^ Kemmerer, Gillian (25 September 2020). "Ice Diaries: Alex Carpenter". KHL. Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  11. ^ Kemmerer, Gillian (2 October 2020). "Ice Diaries: Rachel Llanes". KHL. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  12. ^ "Таблица 2020/2021 – Рег. чемпионат, полная". whl.khl.ru (in Russian). 27 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Лидеры 2020/2021 : БОМБАРДИРЫ - Рег. чемпионат, полная". whl.khl.ru (in Russian). 27 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Статистика игроков 2020/2021 – Рег. чемпионат, Вратарь". whl.khl.ru (in Russian). 27 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Финал Кубка ЖХЛ перенесен на более поздний срок". whl.khl.ru (in Russian). KHL. 10 March 2021. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Финал Кубка ЖХЛ состоится после женского чемпионата мира". whl.khl.ru (Press release) (in Russian). KHL. 22 March 2021. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.

External links[edit]

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