Hockey is decided by centimeters, often clichés, which this time applied. In the extension, he rippled the net with the Hronek cannon, but the Czech joy was premature. The Danes succeeded with a coaching challenge to the passing offside caused by Dominik Kubalík, who had skates in the air when he took over the disc and moved to the offensive zone. In the NHL? Not a problem. According to European rules, it was clear – offside.
“When I saw the shot, I thought it was fine. Fortunately, the match turned out just as well, but I was surprised,” said the 25-year-old shooter Kubalík.
Nicklas Jensen scored the first goal of the match. After a long conquest, Kubalík succeeded in the time of 45:23 and sent the match into overtime. The Czechs managed the raids perfectly, when Robin Hanzl, Jakub Vrána, Jan Kovář and Filip Chytil performed all four penalties in a masterful way. In the match, the excellent Šimon Hrubec neutralized Nicolai Meyer’s attempt, but after three failures, Will finished his work. He jumped into the goal and caught the attack of Nik Andersen.
“Since we came to Latvia, we didn’t train the raids even once. I guess we have it in us. I wasn’t nervous at all, I was so frozen that I wanted to go first, let it go quickly. Fortunately, I succeeded,” he smiled. see Hanzl.
The Danes were not surprised. They played their classic fierce hockey with consistent midfield defense and bullet blocking. Everything supported again by the excellent Sebastian Dahm. In sixty minutes, the Northerners fired at the goal only twelve times, of which one of the first shots took place, so Monday afternoon offered a drama.
“They played selflessly, blocking an enormous number of shots. It was difficult in this, it was very difficult to get the puck on goal. Even in the power play we did not have the kind of movement we should have thought. Fortunately, we managed the match,” Hanzl breathed.
The match started for the Danes according to their ideal scenario. After an unnecessary cross by Lukáš Klok, the opponent received an overpowering game in the fourth minute, which was used by the shooter Nicklas Jensen right after 27 seconds. The precise and agile blow of the Finnish Jokerit forward to the opening ten minutes dampened the Czech team. After a nice solo, Jesper Jensen Aabo threatened, whose shot was hardly hit by Hrubec.
“We wanted to go to the match actively from the first moment, but unfortunately we were stopped by a senseless exclusion. This direction is repeated over and over again. The wind from the sails immediately took a goal, which we were preparing for everything in great detail, and yet we got it. “Then the opponent played very well defensively,” said coach Filip Pešán.
The Czechs knocked in the second ten minutes. David Sklenička appeared in the clear chances and the pressure to the goal also came in the power play. However, the Czech team had a hard time getting into the opponent. In the second period, Kubalík received a return pass from Hronek between the circles, but he did not come to Dahm.
And when there was nothing left, the Danish goalkeeper was replaced by Markus Lauridsen with a successful pass in front of an empty goal and Matias Lassen with a perfect lifting of the stick of the lurking Matěj Stránský.
Time 45:23, when the Czech hockey players broke the resistance of the Danes. Chytil found a blocked shot and presented a 100% chance in front of Kubalík’s empty goal. After another handsome combination along the axis Vrána – Kovář – Kubalík, Dahm shone. Even more effective and important was Hrubec’s intervention against the shot of Nik Andersen, who saved the tournament.
In the basic playing time, Crow could have decided, but in a separate escape, Dahma did not overcome the technical shot on the rash. In the subsequent overtime, he then rippled the Hronek network, but the Danes succeeded with a coaching challenge to the passing offside caused by Kubalík. In the raids, the Czech shooters excelled and demonstrated confident loops, which led to two points.
“We would like to know the answer to the question why we are able to take up to the third period when it flows into our shoes. I think we have already shown that we can play completely differently than in the first period, which also costs us a lot of energy. But I am glad that the strength of the team showed, and in the end we managed it, “said Kubalík.
