And here is the return of a great classic of the quarter-finals. Czechs and Americans had faced each other six times in eight years between 2011 and 2018, in the world championship or at the Olympic Games. These confrontations are balanced but the United States, undefeated in the first phase for the first time in their history, have perhaps never been so much favorites as this year. However, they are without Mikey Eyssimont, suspended for a game for his charge which injured Rasmus Sandin in the knee. Anders Bjork replaces him on the left wing of the second row.
The Czechs suffered two major injuries during the competition (Chytil and Sedlák). They didn’t show anything exciting in pool. Jiří Černoch, Tomáš Kundrátek and Daniel Voženílek have decided to wear a mustache for this quarter-final, shaving off the goatee or the beard around it. The idea comes from defender Kundrátek, and Černoch – pictured below – commented on it as follows: “Why not? I already have a wife. This made the locker room laugh a little, but will it transform these three players who each have a meager assist on the counter? It costs nothing to try.
Until now, the Czechs were too dependent on two assets already known but more valuable than ever, especially in numerical superiority: the qualities of passer of their captain Roman Červenka and the effectiveness of the shooting of the top scorer of the tournament Dominik Kubalík.
Qualities that do not come through in the first power play of this game, when Jake Sanberg takes an unnecessary penalty in the offensive zone (he tripped Špaček in the corner). There were no real goalscoring chances in the previous nine minutes. Shortly after the return to 5 against 5, it was the United States who settled in the offensive zone and opened the scoring. Karel Vejmelka leaves a rebound on a long shot from Lane Hutson and the pivot shot from Matt Coronato then ricochets off two Czech skates in a row in a famous two-cushion billiard shot!
This goal gives momentum to the Americans, who find their dynamism hitherto contained by the Czech defensive system. Conor Garland comes out from behind the cage and his pass deflected by Sobotka’s skate lands on Drew O’Connor at the right post with the cage open, but Michal Kempný manages to lift his stick in a very valuable defensive intervention (picture above).
This first third was not really exciting, all in a lunar atmosphere. The Czech supporters present in Riga could not organize the expensive and complicated detour to Tampere. Weak point of this formula in two countries, the most important day takes place in a desolate atmosphere!
Even if the Czechs can’t count on their fans to push them forward, they have to go. Their defensive tactics will no longer be enough now that they are trailing, and they cannot continue like this, with only two shots on target in twenty minutes. They are indeed more enterprising, with in particular a good backhand from Smejkal, but do not overturn the table either.
USA doesn’t need to do much and is focused on simple play. Their captain Nick Bonino wins a face-off in the offensive zone against Radim Zohorna then makes a swaying movement which is not an imitation of Elvis, but which advances the buttocks to open the way for an off-center shot from Nick Perbix which passes exactly at this place and runs very precisely in the skylight near Vejmelka (2-0).
Kempný holds back the stirring O’Connor. The only brilliant action following this punishment is the release from prison: the American defender Scott Perunovich dives spectacularly to intercept with the glove, like a baseball outfielder, the pass from Flek who was about to send Kempný on the breakaway!
At the end of the second period, Špaček thought he had the opportunity to reduce the score on a rebound from a tight angle, but goalkeeper Casey DeSmith put his skate back on the trajectory. But the last bursts are American, with three shots in the last thirty seconds.
Back to the wall, the Czech Republic starts the third period well, with slightly modified lines. From the first minute, Roman Červenka recovers an aerial puck, ahead of Perbix and takes a cross throw deflected narrowly by the left arm of Casey DeSmith. But she stays there. Even when Farrell fouls in the attacking zone by tripping Tomášek, the Czechs hesitate too much and fail to get a shot on target in two minutes.
With ten minutes remaining, the United States scored their second goal on commitment. TJ Tynan wins his duel in the right circle against Sobotka, behind for the lightning shot from Conor Gauthier in the top corner (3-0). This end to the match is depressing for the Czechs who see Michael Špaček collapse on the ice with a muscle injury that prevents him from skating and walking. Kari Jalonen is trying to get his goalkeeper out very early, three and a half minutes from the end.
The Czechs had announced that they wanted to impose their hockey, they did not succeed. They kept USA inside the perimeter and conceded few close shots, but a double ricochet and two face-offs (on face-offs lost by both substitute centers to injury) proved fatal. Themselves had very few chances. With the German qualification, the Czech Republic finished in eighth place in this World Cup, the worst ranking in its history.
The Americans again managed to avoid playing in their zone as much as possible, thanks to their quick transitions. Like last year against Switzerland, they won their quarter-final 3-0 by scoring after twelve minutes of play to no longer be worried. They hope the sequel will be better this time around and that they won’t finish fourth. They are the No. 1 seed and will face an unexpected opponent – Germany – to advance to their first World Championship final in 90 years…
Named players of the match: Matt Coronato for the United States and Tomáš Dvořák for the Czech Republic.
Three best Czechs of the tournament according to their coach: Michal Kempný, Dominik Kubalík and Karel Vejmelka.
Post-match comments :
Michal Jordán (Czechia defender): “It certainly wasn’t a good quarter-final. We didn’t start well. What we told each other didn’t work. The Americans were better the whole first half, we were very passive. I just tried to push the player away from the goal and make sure he didn’t have his stick on the ice, and unfortunately the puck bounced off Dvořák’s skate and mine to end up in the goal . Admittedly, the Americans are pushing into the enclave, which we missed. Sometimes it’s sports. We prepared carefully, we wanted to give everything, but we were very nervous and we didn’t play with precision. »
Dominik Kubalík (Czech striker): “I thought this match would be the one that would work for us, that we would qualify and build on that. Alas… We knew their speed, but we couldn’t prevent it. The idea was to take the puck off the lacrosse. […] I take it for myself. I’m here to score goals and I may have had a shot on goal. It is not enough. I don’t think anyone saw me tonight. These are things that I personally regret. »
photos Emmanuel Giraudeaux
USA – Czechia 3-0 (1-0, 1-0, 1-0)
Thursday, May 25, 2023 at 4:20 p.m. at the Nokia Arena in Tampere. 7411 spectators.
Referees: Mads Frandsen (DAN) and Liam Sewell (GBR) assisted by Tarrington Wyonzek (CAN) and Emil Yletyinen (SUE).
Penalties: USA 4′ (2′, 0′, 2′); Czechia 2′ (0′, 2′, 0′).
Shots: USA 34 (11, 14, 9); Czechia 15 (2, 9, 4).
Score evolution:
1-0 at 12’04: Coronato assisted by Hutson and Mackey
2-0 at 28’53: Perbix assisted by Grimaldi
3-0 at 49’57: Gauthier assisted by Tynan
UNITED STATES
Forwards:
Rocco Grimaldi (+1) – Nick Bonino (C, +1) – Alex Tuch (A, +1)
Anders Bjork – Drew O’Connor – Conor Garland (A, +1)
Cutter Gauthier (+1) – TJ Tynan (+1) – Carter Mazur (+2)
Sean Farrell (2′) – Patrick Brown – Matt Coronato (+1)
luke tuch
Defenders:
Dylan Samberg (+1, 2′) – Nick Perbix (+1)
Tyker Kleven – Scott Perunovich
Henry Thrun (+1) – Connor Mackey (+1)
Lane Hutson (+2)
Guardian :
Casey DeSmith
Substitute: Cal Petersen (G). Reservists: Drew Commesso (L), Ronnie Attard (D). Suspended: Michael Eyssimont (A). Substitute on injury: Sammy Walker (A, shoulder)
Czech Republic
Forwards:
Roman Červenka (C) – Vladimír Sobotka (A, -1) – Dominik Kubalík
Jakub Flek – Jiří Černoch (-1) – Ondřej Beránek
Jiří Smejkal (-3) – Radim Zohorna (-1) – Martin Kaut (-3)
Daniel Voženílek – Michael Špaček – David Tomášek
Radan Lenz
Defenders:
Michal Kempný (2′) – Tomáš Kundrátek (-1)
Tomáš Dvořák (-2) – Jan Košťálek (-1)
Michal Jordán (A, -2) – Jakub Zbořil
David Nemecek
Guardian :
Karel Vejmelka [sorti de 56’30 à 57’21 et de 57’39 à 60’00]
Substitute: Marek Langhamer (G). Reservists: Šimon Hrubec (L), Ronald Knot (D), Filip Chlapík (A). Injury substitutes: Lukáš Sedlák (A, broken bone in the instep), Filip Chytil (A, broken cheekbone).
2023-05-25 18:19:21
#Billiards #swaying #baseball #secrets #American #qualification #National #Teams #Ice #Hockey
