Slovak ice hockey players defeated Slovenia 3–1 in their second game at the Ice Hockey World Championship on 11 May 2025. (source: TASR - Jakub Kotian)
By the end of Slovakia’s 3–1 victory over Slovenia in Stockholm on Sunday, the Slovak dressing room echoed with Karol Duchoň’s booming ballad “Mám ťa rád” (I love you), a soundtrack to both relief and quiet optimism. After a heavy opening defeat to Sweden on Friday, this was a step forward. Maybe even the first piece in their quarter-final puzzle, according to The Slovak Spectator’s sister publication Sportnet.
Slovakia got the job done early. By the tenth minute, they were 2–0 up and in full control of a game they could have wrapped up long before the final buzzer. “We had a good start, scored two quick goals, and that gave us momentum,” head coach Vladimír Országh said. “But then we made it complicated again.”
The early breakthrough came from debutant Sebastián Čederle, who coolly deked goaltender Matija Pintarič after a smart battle for the puck by Adam Sýkora. Čederle, fresh off a tip from goaltending coach Ján Lašák to target the glove side, made the advice count. “Didn’t expect to score so early in the tournament,” he admitted.
Only 66 seconds later, another newcomer, Pavol Regenda, doubled the lead with a deflection on a shot from returning defenceman Samuel Kňažko, who, like Regenda, had only arrived from North America the day before. “First period was good,” Kňažko said. “In the second I was breathing hard after a couple long shifts, but that’s normal.”
Slovakia added a third in the second period through Michal Krištof, finishing a crisp power-play move initiated by Róbert Lantoši. They looked in cruise control, repeatedly cycling deep in Slovenia’s zone while Pintarič did his best to keep the scoreline respectable.
But then came the third period, and familiar Slovak nerves crept in.
Back-to-back penalties on Regenda and Koch gave Slovenia a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage. They made it count when Ken Ograjenšek cut the deficit to 3–1. Suddenly, Slovakia’s comfortable cushion looked fragile.
Slovenia pushed. Slovakia wobbled.
Enter Samuel Hlavaj.
The Slovak goalie had little to do across two periods — Slovenia registered just one shot in the opening 15 minutes — but in the third, with the pressure mounting, he produced a vital blocker save to deny a Slovenian equaliser. “It’s my job to stop pucks,” Hlavaj said. “I always like helping the team with a big save, but it would be better if I didn’t have to.”
Slovakia’s staff also got their timing right. A video challenge late in the second period cancelled what would have been Slovenia’s first goal, catching a clear offside. “Credit to our assistants, they saw it immediately,” said Országh.
The only thing missing was a final flourish. Čederle nearly had it, firing towards Slovenia’s empty net in the dying seconds – only to hit both posts.
It wasn’t pretty at the end, but it was a necessary win. “We have a better team and should’ve finished it earlier,” Lantoši said. “But we’ve got the three points and that’s what matters.”
Next up: Austria on Monday – and a chance to put another piece in place.
Group A – Standings (as of 11 May 2025)
Rank | Team | GP | Pts | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF:GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Canada (CAN) | 2 | 6 | 2 | 11:1 | |||
2 | Sweden (SWE) | 2 | 6 | 2 | 9:2 | |||
3 | Finland (FIN) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2:1 | |||
4 | Latvia (LAT) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5:8 | ||
5 | Slovakia (SVK) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3:6 | ||
6 | France (FRA) | 1 | 1 | 1:4 | ||||
7 | Austria (AUT) | 2 | 2 | 3:6 | ||||
8 | Slovenia (SLO) | 2 | 2 | 1:7 |
