Slovakia continued its strong start at the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship with a convincing 6-1 victory over Norway on Thursday night in Trenčín. The win, Slovakia’s second in as many games, came just 24 hours after a stunning 2-1 upset over Canada and solidified the host nation’s position at the top of Group A.
According to verified match reports from SPORTNET and ŠPORT.sk, Slovakia opened the scoring in the first minute when Jakub Floriš beat Norway’s goaltender 49 seconds into the game. Assisted by Jakubec and Botka, the early goal set the tone for a dominant performance.
Just six minutes later, Tomáš Selič doubled Slovakia’s lead with a precise shot following a pass from Bereš, making it 2-0 after the first period. Norway managed to pull one back in the second period through Jones-Nilsson, assisted by Kjølmoen and Dimitriev-Jensen, but Slovakia responded with three unanswered goals in the final frame.
Jakubec restored the two-goal lead at 38:00 with an assist from Šramatý before Matta extended the advantage to 4-1 midway through the third period, tipped in by Goljer and Kazda. Less than a minute later, Šimko made it 5-1 with an assist from Válek and Bernát. Selič completed the scoring late in the game, netting his second of the night at 53:00 with an assist from Požgay to make it 6-1.
The victory improved Slovakia’s record to 2-0 with a goal differential of +8 (8:2) and earned them six points in the standings. Norway, meanwhile, fell to 0-2 after losing its opening game to Finland 6-1, leaving them with a combined score of 2:12 through two games and sitting at the bottom of Group A.
In post-game remarks reported by SPORTNET, Selič downplayed the celebrations, saying the team had “pancakes at the hotel” after the win over Canada and chose to remain focused. Defenseman Jakub Floriš echoed the sentiment, telling reporters the squad had “left their feet on the ground” despite the back-to-back victories.
Slovakia’s next game in the tournament will be against Latvia, scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Trenčín. Latvia enters the match winless after a 6-0 loss to the Czech Republic in its opening game.
For continued coverage of the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship, including schedules, results and video highlights, fans can follow official updates from the International Ice Hockey Federation.
Stay tuned to Archysport for the latest developments in international junior hockey.
- Fred Warner Says Rams Withered Away in 49ers’ Victory in Melbourne
- Jon Rahm Struggles in Opening Round of Irish Open at Trump International Doonbeg
- Canada offers air defense support for Ukraine as Zelenskyy visits (newsarchyuk.com)
- Why Movie Subtitles and Dubbed Dialogue Often Don't Match (daybreakwire.com)
