“The 4-0 result doesn’t reflect in the slightest how close the game was,” said Canadian expert Craig Button from TSN after the bronze medal match at the U18 World Cup.
The Slovak hockey players lost to the Swedes by four goals, but the score was still 0:0 in the 50th minute.
It was a completely even match until then. The Slovaks even beat the favorites 36:29, but the Swedes had more chances even before the first goal.
Slovak hockey players cried after the loss, but they still left a good impression. They were able to compete against a top opponent who won the sixth medal in a row at the under-18 World Cup.
Kudos to Dendis
The unexpected fourth place and the performance in the second half of the tournament can be considered the success of the 32-year-old coach Martin Dendis, who was praised by Canadian experts from TSN after the matches with the Czech Republic, USA and Sweden.
While he played actively against the Czech Republic according to Craig Ramsay’s recipe, he chose a defensive style against the Swedes and it worked.
It was not a passive defense, as we have often shown in the past against the favorites in these tournaments. We gave the puck to the Swedes, especially in the second period, but they couldn’t put us under pressure, as evidenced by the number of shots.
At the same time, the Slovaks also had phases when they were dangerous. Especially in power plays, the excellent Swedish goalkeeper Love Härenstam caught them several times.
“The Slovaks were almost not in the attacking third in the second period,” assessed TSN expert Bryan Mudryk.
“They weren’t, but the Swedes were often in the attacking third, but they didn’t do anything in it,” responded his colleague Craig Button and helped himself with the words of long-time coach and general manager of NHL teams Barry Trotz.
“Barry used to say that
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