today 09:41
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The Slovakian under-20 hockey team completed their first training session in the preparatory field before the World Junior Championships. In the Canadian town of Truro, the coaches had 26 of the 28 nominees available on the ice. Striker Róbert Bačo only watched training from the stands as his luggage is still at one of the airports. Defender Šimon Nemec will join the squad on Sunday 18 December. Informed portal Hockeyslovakia.sk.
The young Slovaks entered training after a difficult journey. The European part of the expedition spent more than 24 hours in planes and buses en route from Bratislava to Truro.
“The journey was very difficult, we waited at the Toronto airport for more than four hours for the transfer to Halifax, then another two hours on the plane to clear the runway. In the end we made it and formed a good team”. said Adam Sýkora, who doesn’t like flying. “Even though I fly relatively often, I still have respect, it has stayed with me since I was a child. I can’t get rid of it. I was under stress because it was more difficult for us to land and take off.”
The move by the Slovaks was especially complicated by the snowfall in Canada, which also interrupted the logistics of the arrival of reinforcements from abroad. Some Canadian and American club hockey players joined the team in Toronto, others in Halifax, and the rest immediately trained in Truro. It was also the case of Filip Mešár, who arrived in Toronto on Thursday in the company of Servác Petrovský, paradoxically before the players flying from Vienna.
“We were first in Toronto and were supposed to be first in Halifax, but they canceled our flight and we still had to deal with paperwork at the airport. We needed to change our tickets for this morning and hit the ice right away.” Mešár told hockeyslovakia.sk.
The 18-year-old forward is currently active in Canadian junior OHL competition. In his last five games for the Kitchener Rangers, he has eight points on four goals and four assists.
“It wasn’t easy to start training without warming up, but the atmosphere on the ice was excellent. The boys are fantastic and now we have to focus on the tournament together. I managed to score points and score goals in other duels at the club, which I I’m also expected in the national team. I want to be the leader of the team and confirm the form of the club.” added Mešár.
During the weekend, the Slovak teams will have three training sessions on ice, which will be complemented by a preparation match. On Sunday at 6pm local time (11pm CET) they will play in Truro against fellow Germans. They will play a total of three duels before the championship starts. Next week they will be tested by the Canadians in Moncton and by the Austrians again in Truro.
