photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / MATT ZAMBONIN
Sweden clinched their quarterfinal berth with a 4–2 win over Slovakia. Ivar Stenberg scored the game-winner on a solo effort in the second period.
Jakob Silfverberg, Anton Frondell, and Oliver Ekman Larsson also scored for Sweden. Martin Chromiak and Marek Hrivik scored for Slovakia.
“We got the job done,” noted Sweden’s Emil Heineman.
“The second period we got scored on twice and stopped playing a little bit. That can'’t happen if you want to win a game,” Slovakia’s Filip Mesar said.
Coaches always preach patience at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Teams should maintain an even keel and not get too excited — or too depressed — early in the tournament, but both Sweden and Slovakia had experienced a rollercoaster ride in Switzerland.
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Slovakia won their first four games of the tournament and didn’t have a worry in the world. Then they lost two in a row and were faced with a must-win game against Sweden.
Sweden, on the other hand, had delivered a mixed bag of results, including a shocking loss to Norway, but here they were now, playing for a quarterfinal spot in Group B. Sweden needed a regulation-time win, while Slovakia needed just one point.
Slovakia got off to a great start when Martin Chromiak gave his team an important 1–0 lead just 4:54 into the game after a well-executed 3-on-2 rush. Petr Sykora and Patrik Koch tore through the Swedish defense and found Chromiak wide open in the slot, and he beat Hellberg with a quick wrister.
Slovakia outshot Sweden 10–0 in the first ten minutes of the game, in part thanks to two power-play opportunities. It also meant that while the Swedish penalty killers toiled on the ice, Sweden’s first line had to stay on the bench.
“It was a tight game and they got two power plays and got their game going. We came back and eventually started to play our own game,” Heineman said.
It’s the goals that count, and Tre Kronor got on the board at 16:01 during a delayed penalty. Anton Frondell fired a one-timer from a tight angle below the right faceoff circle, and the puck went in off Hlavaj’s skate to tie the game. Joel Persson and Mattias Ekholm were credited with assists.
The temperature came down in the second period.
Jakob Silfverberg, one of Sweden’s penalty killers, gave the Swedes the lead early in the second when, out of the blue, he and Rasmus Asplund broke in on a two-on-one. Silfverberg used Asplund as a decoy and fired his trademark wrister through Hlavaj’s five-hole to make it 2–1 at 2:50.
“We learned from previous games about how to play a little more mature game. Now we got the lead and did a good job being patient,” Heineman said.
A lot has been said about the young Swedish stars, and one of them, Ivar Stenberg, showed off his skills. On a one-on-one against a Slovak defender, he made a crafty move and, in one motion, fired the puck top shelf to give Sweden a two-goal cushion at 10:56.
“It just happened,” Stenberg told Swedish TV.
They needed the cushion. Slovakia had not thrown in the towel by any means. Marek Hrivik made it 3–2 from a scrum in front of the Swedish net after Martin Fasko-Rudas’s point shot bounced around and landed at the Slovak captain’s feet with 3:21 remaining in the second period.
Oliver Ekman Larsson scored an empty-netter to clinch Sweden’s quarterfinal berth with 1:15 remaining.
“I think we had a good tournament, it was the first Worlds for a lot of players. We tried our best,” Slovakia's Mesar concluded.
Jakob Silfverberg, Anton Frondell, and Oliver Ekman Larsson also scored for Sweden. Martin Chromiak and Marek Hrivik scored for Slovakia.
“We got the job done,” noted Sweden’s Emil Heineman.
“The second period we got scored on twice and stopped playing a little bit. That can'’t happen if you want to win a game,” Slovakia’s Filip Mesar said.
Coaches always preach patience at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Teams should maintain an even keel and not get too excited — or too depressed — early in the tournament, but both Sweden and Slovakia had experienced a rollercoaster ride in Switzerland.
'
Slovakia won their first four games of the tournament and didn’t have a worry in the world. Then they lost two in a row and were faced with a must-win game against Sweden.
Sweden, on the other hand, had delivered a mixed bag of results, including a shocking loss to Norway, but here they were now, playing for a quarterfinal spot in Group B. Sweden needed a regulation-time win, while Slovakia needed just one point.
Slovakia got off to a great start when Martin Chromiak gave his team an important 1–0 lead just 4:54 into the game after a well-executed 3-on-2 rush. Petr Sykora and Patrik Koch tore through the Swedish defense and found Chromiak wide open in the slot, and he beat Hellberg with a quick wrister.
Slovakia outshot Sweden 10–0 in the first ten minutes of the game, in part thanks to two power-play opportunities. It also meant that while the Swedish penalty killers toiled on the ice, Sweden’s first line had to stay on the bench.
“It was a tight game and they got two power plays and got their game going. We came back and eventually started to play our own game,” Heineman said.
It’s the goals that count, and Tre Kronor got on the board at 16:01 during a delayed penalty. Anton Frondell fired a one-timer from a tight angle below the right faceoff circle, and the puck went in off Hlavaj’s skate to tie the game. Joel Persson and Mattias Ekholm were credited with assists.
The temperature came down in the second period.
Jakob Silfverberg, one of Sweden’s penalty killers, gave the Swedes the lead early in the second when, out of the blue, he and Rasmus Asplund broke in on a two-on-one. Silfverberg used Asplund as a decoy and fired his trademark wrister through Hlavaj’s five-hole to make it 2–1 at 2:50.
“We learned from previous games about how to play a little more mature game. Now we got the lead and did a good job being patient,” Heineman said.
A lot has been said about the young Swedish stars, and one of them, Ivar Stenberg, showed off his skills. On a one-on-one against a Slovak defender, he made a crafty move and, in one motion, fired the puck top shelf to give Sweden a two-goal cushion at 10:56.
“It just happened,” Stenberg told Swedish TV.
They needed the cushion. Slovakia had not thrown in the towel by any means. Marek Hrivik made it 3–2 from a scrum in front of the Swedish net after Martin Fasko-Rudas’s point shot bounced around and landed at the Slovak captain’s feet with 3:21 remaining in the second period.
Oliver Ekman Larsson scored an empty-netter to clinch Sweden’s quarterfinal berth with 1:15 remaining.
“I think we had a good tournament, it was the first Worlds for a lot of players. We tried our best,” Slovakia's Mesar concluded.
Sweden vs Slovakia - 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship
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