Canada? Their roster is loaded, but so are the teams in our group. We’ll try to give a similar performance to the one against the U.S., Cehlárik said

Slovakia made it through the group stage and advanced to the quarterfinals. However, due to two defeats in a row, they had to settle for fourth place, for which they are going to Canada. Forward Peter Cehlarik is not despairing, however, and says that a similar performance to the one against the USA may be enough.

Slovakia didn’t start the tournament well, falling to Germany in their first game. But then they beat not only Kazakhstan but also the USA in overtime. After the wins over Poland and France, no one doubted their progress.

However, coach Ramsey’s team made their chances more difficult against Latvia, who fell in a shootout. In their last game, they then fell to Sweden, a 1-6 debacle.

Fourth place means the most difficult possible position towards promotion, as the opponent will be a strong Canada. And it plays economical hockey in the group, but it is already fighting hard in the knockout stages.

“Sure, their roster is loaded, just like the teams in our group. America, the Swedes… Of course we have to look at them, see where we can hurt them going forward,” said forward Cehlárik after the game.

He is aware that the Slovaks will not be the favourites against Canada, but rather the biggest underdog in the quarter-finals. But that can also be an advantage.

“We will play just as fast in front of the net, taking advantage of the chances that come from the front of the net. Ideally, we will score the first goal right at the beginning. We played exactly the way we want to play against America. We will try to give a similar performance,” he added.

The match is scheduled for 16:20 and we can look forward to the clash between Switzerland and Germany. At 20:20, the Czechs play the USA, and at the same time we will see the Nordic derby between Sweden and Finland.

Source: Ice Hockey World Championship 2024