VISP – Slovak ice hockey players won their first preparatory match before the WC in Riga. On Friday in Vispa, they defeated the home team of Switzerland 2:0. Adrián Holešinský and Viliam Čacho deserved the goals.
Goalkeeper Samuel Hlavaj shone with an excellent performance, blocking all 34 shots of the home team. Craig Ramsay’s men will play a return match against Switzerland on Saturday 15 April in Porrentruy (5pm).
In the next phase of their preparation, a double match against the Czech Republic in Ostrava awaits them on April 20 and 21. Then on April 28, they will welcome Germany in Žilina and a day later they will play against the same team in Trenčín. In the end, they will play two matches against Austria. They will play in Kapfenberg on May 4 and welcome the Austrians in Trenčín on May 6. After the final performance in preparation on the Trenčín ice, the implementation team will announce the final nomination for the WC.
The Swiss were more active from the start and had the first big chance. In the 3rd minute, Hlavaj made a great save with a catcher after Müller’s shot. The Slovak hockey players lagged behind the home team mainly in movement, Hlavaj’s interceptions gradually increased. Ramsay’s men did not have a better chance in the 1st period, the superiority of the Helvetii also spoke of the number of shooting attempts in the ratio of 13:5.
The picture of the game did not change in the second period. The home team were better, they had more shots, and the chances came from that. Bichsel and Meyer had the most, but Hlavaj hit well in both cases. Takač had Slovakia’s best chance, but the puck slipped in the final phase when he was outnumbered.
Slovak hockey players upgraded their performance in the third period. Holešinský put them in the lead when Baláž took the puck from the Swiss defender behind the goal and served it to a teammate along the goal area. 51 seconds later, Čacho shot at the goal, and thanks to the run of one of the home team, the puck ended up in the goal – 0:2. Until the end of the match, both teams still had chances, they had one power play at their disposal, but neither managed to score a goal. Even the final game without a goalkeeper, which they played for 178 seconds, did not work out for the Swiss.
preparatory match:
Switzerland – SLOVAKIA 0:2 (0:0, 0:0, 0:2)
Goals: 42. Holešinský (Baláž), 43. Čacho (Lantoši, Gernát). Judges: Tscherrig, Hürlimann – Cattaneo, Schlegel, expulsions: 4:5, power plays and weakness: 0:0, shots on goal: 34:16, 2008 spectators.
Switzerland: Senn – Fora, Frick, Loeffel, Bichsel, Glauser, Vouardoux, Aebischer, Egli – Riat, Corvi, Ambühl – Kneubuehler, Jäger, Bader – Moy, Müller, Meyer – Bertschy, Heim, Thürkauf
Slovakia: Hlavaj – Gernát, Ivan, Beňo, Golian, Gachulinec, Jánošík, Gajdoš – Cehlárik, Hrivík, Takač – Holešinský, Sukeľ, Kudrna – Lantoši, Tamáši, Baláž – Petráš, Čacho, Lunter – Faško-Rudaš
- Author: © List
- Source: TASR
