Slovak hopes fade as hockey team bows out of championship with final defeat

There was spirit. There was structure. There was a final push. But once again, there were too few goals.

Slovakia ended their 2025 Ice Hockey World Championship run with a narrow 1–2 loss to Finland on Tuesday, confirming a sixth-place finish in Group A and an overall 11th spot – their worst result since 2017.

Against a Finnish side coming off a statement win over tournament favourites Canada, Slovakia delivered one of their most complete performances in Stockholm. They held their own through 60 minutes, matched the physicality, and found a late power play goal through Róbert Lantoši. But a familiar story unfolded: the finishing touch deserted them at the crucial moments.

“It was probably our best game of the tournament,” goaltender Samuel Hlavaj said, as quoted by Sportnet. “We created chances, but we didn’t convert them. That’s been our problem all along – you can’t win with just one or two goals.”

Slovakia finished their campaign with two wins, one overtime loss, and four regulation defeats. More damning is the goal tally: just nine across seven games. Only Hungary and France managed fewer, and this marks the team’s lowest offensive output at a World Championship since the format expanded in 2012.

It didn’t help that two of their outings – against Sweden and Canada – ended in goalless frustration. For context: Slovakia’s previous nadir came in 1998, when they netted 11 times in Switzerland.

Not yet ready, not without promise

Captain Matúš Sukeľ didn’t sugarcoat the outcome. “Our lack of finishing cost us the quarter-finals. We were a young team, a bit inconsistent, and that caught up with us.”

Still, there were positives to salvage from the finale. Hlavaj made several key saves, including a sprawling stop on Atte Tolvanen and a brush of the crossbar to deny Juho Lammikko. Lantoši’s goal gave Slovakia a glimmer of hope late on, and the final minutes were played with six skaters in desperate pursuit of an equaliser.

There was even a moment of early celebration – before it was taken away. After Finland’s early opener, Lantoši appeared to level with a composed finish, only for coaches to challenge for goalie interference. The referees agreed, ruling Sukeľ’s contact with Emil Larmi sufficient to disallow the goal.

Slovakia’s Pavol Regenda and captain Matúš Sukeľ celebrate Róbert Lantoši’s goal during their Group A match against Finland at the 88th Ice Hockey World Championship in Stockholm on 20 May 2025. (source: TASR - Jakub Kotian)

Finnish players Hannes Björninen (24), Jan-Mikael Järvinen (41) and Harri Pesonen (82) celebrate a goal scored by teammate Waltteri Merelä (19) past Slovak goaltender Samuel Hlavaj during the Group A match between Finland and Slovakia at the 88th Ice Hockey World Championship in Stockholm on 20 May 2025. (source: TASR - Jakub Kotian)

Plenty of character, not enough goals

“We started well again,” head coach Vladimír Országh said. “The first period was strong, but then we lost rhythm with all the penalties. In the third, we created chances and kept pushing. It’s just a shame we only scored once – the boys would have deserved at least a point.”

For the Slovaks, the tournament is a sobering step back. Last year, they came within one game of the semi-finals. Two years ago in Riga, they also missed out on the quarter-finals but had reasons for optimism. Now, the questions begin again.

Slovakia’s 2025 squad was built around youth and effort, with few established NHL names. “The team may not have had that much quality, but it has great character,” said Országh.