“Slovakian Under-18 Hockey Representatives to Challenge Finland in Semi-Finals”

The players from the Tatras entered the tournament with great performances. In the opening match, they beat the Czech Republic 3:2 after separate raids. Subsequently, they tormented the Swedes, to whom they finally succumbed 3:5, and they were just not enough even against the Canadians, with whom they lost 3:4. They ended the regular season with a 6:4 victory over Germany.

The Finns started the championship with wins over Switzerland and Latvia. In the third match, they suffered an unpleasant loss from the USA 4:8, but they made up for it against Norway, which they outshot 10:2. Offensive and self-confident, they will also go into the quarter-final battle. “Slovakia suits us very well. We have the means to destroy them,” quoted Finland head coach Lauri Merikivi’s portal after the last triumph Evening newspaper.

But the skipper also recognized the qualities of the Slovaks and evaluated what will be key for his charges in the match. “They have a strong age group. At the Under-20 World Cup, they had several players born in 2005. Slovakia is a dangerous opponent if they start playing and achieving success. But if we don’t give them that spark, we will have a stronger five on the ice,” stated in an interview for Lance-Savo.

One of the team’s most productive players does not expect an easy match. “It will be a hard-fought team and we have to be ready for that. Slovakia will definitely give it everything, just like us,” forward Jesse Kiiskinen predicted for Lions. “We have to play our way, hold the puck and play through the offensive zone. That’s our good game.”

However, captain Kasper Halttunen is already thinking beyond the quarterfinals: “Our motivation is as high as it can be. We want to win the gold medal,” said for IIHF.

The Finns will go into the duel as favorites, the Slovak national team has not yet been able to beat them at the Under-18 World Cup. The closest she came to winning was in 2017, when she lost to the northerners narrowly 4:5. Outside of the championships, however, the Slovaks rejoiced at the triumph three times, most recently at the home Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August 2021.