Trailing by three goals against Switzerland, the Czech Republic Under-18 hockey team orchestrated a dramatic five-goal comeback before securing victory in a shootout at the Five Nations Tournament in Kloten, Switzerland, hokej.cz reported.
The match began with early pressure from the Czech side, capped by an opening goal from Tadeáš Mikš. What followed was a difficult twenty-minute stretch where the Czechs conceded four unanswered goals, failing to kill off any of their three minor penalties.
Two separate pucks deflected off Czech sticks and past their own goaltender during this frantic sequence. O’Leary, Trüssel, Ulrich, and Moser all capitalized to build what appeared to be a commanding Swiss advantage.
Mikuláš Kalčev sparked a recovery by netting his first international goal for the national team. Although Gianola answered for Switzerland to restore their multi-goal cushion, Jakub Polášek struck precisely one minute before the second intermission.
That second-period response came off a setup from Mikš, who then scored in the 43rd minute by converting a feed from Denis Viedemann. The visiting squad maintained consistent pressure through the final frame, pulling even with five minutes remaining in regulation.
Swiss goaltender Huet faltered inside his crease, and Oliver Andrle capitalized from distance to level the score at 5-6 overall before extra time. The Czech defense then successfully weathered a demanding three-on-four penalty kill during overtime.
Denis Viedemann ultimately decided the contest in the fifth round of the post-game shootout. Following matching goals from Hörnig and Moser earlier in the shootout sequence, Viedemann converted his attempt with a decisive backhand deke.
The extra-point victory settled the battle for fourth and fifth place at the Kloten tournament. Switzerland concluded its schedule against the United States, while the Czechs faced Finland.
Sweden finished atop the tournament table with nine points from four matches. The United States and Finland followed with six points apiece, while the Czech Republic accumulated two points and Switzerland finished with one.
