Hlinka Gretzky Cup - Day 3

Czechia and Canada both end the group stagein Edmonton with a perfect record. In Friday's semi finals Czechia will play Sweden and Canada will play USA. Slovaia will play Germany for the fifth place while Finland face Switzerland to avoid the last place.

Hlinka Gretzky Cup Gr. A

Hlinka Gretzky Cup Gr. B

Finland - Czechia 1-4 

The game began with a scoreless first period, both teams exhibiting strong defense and goaltending, with Finland taking five shots on goal to Czechia's four.

The second period saw Czechia take control of the game. At 26:58, Tomas Poletin opened the scoring with a goal assisted by Vojtech Cihar and Dominik Pavlik, putting Czechia ahead 1-0. Just a little over a minute later, at 28:08, David Hruby doubled Czechia's lead with help from Vit Zahejsky and Matej Pekar. Despite Finland’s efforts, they were unable to score, and Czechia led 2-0 by the end of the period. The shot count for the second period favored Czechia heavily, with 11 shots to Finland's five.

In the third period, Czechia continued to dominate. Robin Svancara scored at 47:06, assisted by Tomas Malinek, making it 3-0. Less than a minute later, at 47:54, Adam Novotny scored Czechia's fourth goal, assisted by Vit Zahejsky and Adam Benak. Finland managed to get on the scoreboard at 53:29, with Matias Vanhanen scoring a goal assisted by Atte Joki, bringing the final score to 4-1 in favor of Czechia. Both teams took eight shots in the final period.

Overall, the total shots on goal were 23 for Czechia and 18 for Finland. Finnish goaltender Jooa Sammalniemi faced 23 shots, allowing 4 goals and achieving a save percentage of 82.61%. On the other side, Czech goaltender Ondrej Stebetak faced 18 shots, allowing only one goal with a save percentage of 94.44%.

Throughout the game, Finland’s players such as Rasmus Kämäräinen, Lauri Kouhia, and Jasu Mensonen incurred minor penalties, while Czech players including Adam Novotny, Dominik Pavlik, Tomas Poletin, and Vit Zahejsky also spent time in the penalty box. Despite Finland's effort to close the gap in the final period, Czechia's robust performance secured them a convincing 4-1 victory and a group win.

Team USA dominated Germany with a resounding 12-3 victory in a regular season game. From the start, the Americans set the tone, opening the scoring just 2:07 into the game with Blake Fiddler finding the net, assisted by Alexander Donovan and Carter Murphy. The USA continued to overwhelm Germany throughout the first period, extending their lead to 2-0 by the 17th minute with a goal from Teddy Mutryn.

The second period saw the floodgates open as the USA added six more goals, bringing the score to 8-0. Sam Spehar, Nicolas Sykora, Matthew Lansing, and Chase Jette were among the scorers, with Sykora scoring twice on the power play, and Mason Moe also contributing significantly.

Germany managed to find some offensive rhythm in the final period, with Max Bleicher scoring their first goal just over three minutes into the period. However, any hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed as the USA responded with more goals, including a shorthanded goal by Mason Moe and additional strikes from Cooper Simpson and Alexander Donovan. Germany added two more goals in quick succession through Carlos Händel and Andreas Grin, but the USA capped off the game with a final goal from Sam Spehar, sealing the 12-3 win.

Slovakia - Switzerland 3-2 OT

Slovakia edged out Switzerland 3-2 in overtime at the Downtown Community Arena in Edmonton. Slovakia took an early 2-0 lead with goals from Adam Saloň and Ján Chovan in the first period. However, Switzerland responded late in the third period with two quick goals from Lars Steiner and Florian Schenk, forcing overtime. The game was ultimately decided by Michal Svrček's overtime goal, assisted by Patryk Zubek and Ján Chovan, securing Slovakia's victory.

Canada - Sweden 2-1

Canada secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Sweden at Rogers Place in Edmonton. The game was tightly contested, with both teams displaying strong defensive play and goaltending. Canada took the lead early in the first period when Benjamin Kindel scored with an assist from Caleb Desnoyers and Matthew Schaefer. The game remained tense and scoreless through the second period, with both teams trading chances but failing to capitalize.

In the third period, Canada doubled their lead at 52:32 with a goal from Gavin McKenna, assisted by Cole Reschny. McKenna’s goal seemed to put Canada in control, but Sweden quickly responded just 33 seconds later. Milton Gästrin scored for Sweden, assisted by Ivar Stenberg and Zeb Lindgren, bringing the game to a nail-biting finish.

Despite Sweden's late push, Canada held on for the win, thanks in large part to the stellar performance of goaltender Jack Ivankovic, who made 23 saves on 24 shots, finishing the game with a save percentage of 95.83%. Sweden’s goaltender, Isak Sörqvist, also had a strong game, stopping 28 of 30 shots for a save percentage of 93.33%.

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