Riko Kawaguchi
| Riko Kawaguchi 川口 莉子 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 19 September 2004 | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb; 11 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| WJIHL team | Daishin | ||
| National team | Japan | ||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||
Riko Kawaguchi (Japanese: 川口 莉子, かわぐち りこ, Hepburn: Kawaguchi Riko; born 19 September 2004) is a Japanese ice hockey goaltender who represents the national team and currently plays for Daishin IHC in the Women's Japan Ice Hockey League (WJIHL) as well as the All-Japan Women's Ice Hockey Championship.
Playing career
In addition to playing for Daishin IHC, Kawaguchi is also a member of the ice hockey team at Bushūkan Junior and Senior High School, a well-known academic institution in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan.[1]
International play
While playing for Japanese national under-18 team, Kawaguchi took part in the 2022 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship Division I Group A. She guarded the net for a bit more than one-third of the team's total ice time and earned a shutout victory over France.[2] Together with fellow goaltender Ririna Takenaka, the duo led Japan to a whitewash tournament performance, with both goalies stopping every shot they faced and finishing with a perfect 0.00 goals against average.[3]
Kawaguchi earned her debut with the Japanese senior national team at the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship. Selected as the team's third goaltender behind veterans Miyuu Masuhara and Akane Konishi, she gained valuable experience by dressing for two games during the tournament. Her first taste of international senior-level action came in a preliminary round matchup against powerhouse Team Canada, where she was called into the game as a relief goaltender for Konishi. Despite the high-pressure situation, Kawaguchi held her ground admirably, playing for 32 minutes and 13 seconds and facing an intense offensive barrage with 36 shots on goal.[4][5]
References
- ^ "川口 莉子 | 日本代表". Japan Ice Hockey Federation (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ Závodszky, Szabolcs (10 April 2022). "Japanese girls impress in Division I". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship Division I - Group A – Goalkeepers". International Ice Hockey Federation. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ Podnieks, Andrew (28 August 2022). "Canada takes it to Japan". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- ^ "2023 IIHF Women's World Championship – Player Statistics by Team: JPN - Japan". International Ice Hockey Federation. 4 September 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com
- Riko Kawaguchi at the Japan Ice Hockey Federation (in Japanese and English)
- Riko Kawaguchi at the Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games
- Riko Kawaguchi – Harbin 2025 at Team Japan (in Japanese) (in English)