IIHF World Championship round-up: Germany start well against Slovakia
Slovakia 4-6 Germany
The Slovak hockey team entered the World Championship in Ostrava with a 6-4 defeat against Germany.
Coach Craig Ramsay's charges erased a two-goal deficit against the current silver medalists, but lost to them for the fifth time in a row. Leonhard Pfoderl contributed a goal and two assists to Germany's win in Group B, while Yasin Ehliz had three assists.
The Slovaks were the more active scorers in the first period, but the Germans came close to scoring right from the start. The netminder Stanislav Skorvanek, who will defend the colours of Hradec Kralove next season, was able to keep a clean slate. In the sixth minute, he was helped by the bar. The Slovaks also had a promising chance, but Matus Sukel's shot was blocked by Philipp Grubauer.
After several missed opportunities on both sides, the score changed only in the powerplay. Sukel and Peter Ceresnak were in the penalty box and the Germans took advantage of a long five-on-three powerplay. Dominik Kahun scored after a quick break.
The Slovak team tried to overturn the goal of Czech-born Kahun with a coach's challenge, citing illegal obstruction of the goalie, but they were unsuccessful with the referees and continued to play with three players. This time they defended for two full minutes, but Jonas Muller scored on a shot from the blue line on a classic powerplay.
Coach Ramsay's charges recovered from the referee's call with Marek Hrivik reduced the deficit with a shot from an angle and Martin Fehervary equalised in the 39th minute.
The Germans took the lead back at the end of the second period, with 29 seconds to go, Kalble surprising Skorvanek from the blue line.
In the 45th minute, Marc Michaelis, who was left free by the Slovak defence, brought Germany closer to victory with a goal. After Frederik Tiffels' sending off, Grubauer was outmuscled for the second time by the incisive Hrivik, but his goal was disallowed after a video review. Ceresnak lost the puck at the blue line and the puck went into the middle zone, seeing the goal chalked off for an offside.
Five minutes before the end of regulation time, Slovakia managed to reduce the score to 4-3 when Libor Hudacek scored after Juraj Slafkovsky's assist. But the Germans responded in a flash and Pfoderl gave them back the two-goal lead. Tobias Eder scored shorthanded on a Slovak powerplay before Sukel had the last word with 15 seconds left for what would only be a consolation goal.
Watch the video highlights from the game here.
Switzerland 5-2 Norway
The Swiss hockey team opened the World Championship in Prague with a 5-2 win over Norway - in front of 16,617 spectators at the O2 Arena, they decided the game with three goals in the second period.
Defenseman Romain Loeffel and forward Nino Niederreiter helped Patrick Fischer's team to success with a goal and an assist.
The Swiss, with five NHL reinforcements in the line-up, outshot their opponents 15-5 in the first period, but the score was tied 1-1. Sven Andrighetto opened the scoring at 11:05 with a pass from Niederreiter who shot from the right into the top opposite corner of Jonas Arntzen's net.
The Norwegians made the most of the deficit and answered in the 15th minute. Forty-year-old Patrick Thoresen found Markus Vikingstad from the back of the left circle, who beat Leonardo Genoni. Late in the opening period, New York Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello, the only Norwegian representative in the NHL, scored from between the circles, as did Thoresen.
In the 25th minute, Loeffel restored Switzerland's lead with a shot from the blue line against the right post. Four minutes later, the Swiss were up by two goals. Nashville's captain and star Roman Josi found Sven Senteler between the circles after a goalmouth scramble and sent the puck between Arntzen's legs. At 33:30, it was 4-1.
Gaetan Haas intercepted an errant pass from Isak Hansen and found Tristan Scherwey, who redirected the puck past the Norwegian goalie.
In the 52nd minute, Niederreiter added the fifth Swiss goal with a backhand finish on a power play when Noah Steen was sent off. The puck deflected to him from record holder Andres Ambuhl, who improved to 62 points on 28 goals and 34 assists in his 19th appearance at the 132nd World Championship.
The score was evened up 64 seconds before the end on a penalty by Phillip Kurashev by 18-year-old talent Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, who finished off a combination of Zuccarello and Thoresen in his first game at the World Championship.
