Slovakia’s Alex Sotek (#28) and his teammates had plenty to celebrate as they upset the USA 6-3 at the 2023 World Juniors in Moncton, New Brunswick.
The contest of victories continues. Slovakia scored three goals in 3:19 of the second period en route to an upset 6-3 victory over the Americans in Wednesday’s Group B singles game in Moncton.
“I think we played great,” said Slovakian goalkeeper Adam Gajan, who made 33 saves in his World Junior debut. “It wasn’t like USA was the best team. So I think it was a fair game. We just have to play like this, and we can win against any team, I think.”
Libor Nemec, Dalibor Dvorsky, Robert Baco, Filip Mesar, Peter Repcik, and Alex Ciernik scored for Slovakia. Captain Simon Nemec posted three assists.
The United States saw its power click on Wednesday for the first time at the 2023 World Juniors. The Americans scored twice with the man advantage and once on the right after a Slovakian penalty expired. But that was little consolation given their sloppy defensive play.
Tyler Boucher had a pair of goals and Gavin Brindley also scored for the Americans. Cutter Gauthier added two assists.
“It was definitely emotional,” Boucher said. “You know, obviously it’s a group we don’t like to lose, and [Slovakia] came out and played a good game. Credit to them. Penalty trouble can get you in trouble in this tournament.”
The US program has been riding high lately with three of its five Junior World gold medals in the last 10 years (2013, 2017, 2021). But they will need a much better and more disciplined effort to return to the final this year after finishing fifth at the 2022 World Juniors.
“I think we got away from our game in the second period and conceded a few goals when we shouldn’t have,” said captain Luke Hughes. “I think we’ve got to tighten up defensively and get back to our game. That’s kind of cost us.”
A score that was coming up big in this game was 5-2. The United States defeated a feisty Latvian squad 5-2 in its opener. Meanwhile, Slovakia looked to bounce back from a 5-2 loss to 2022 silver medalist Finland.
“It was a different game because Finland is playing a lot of defense, and that’s not good for us,” said Simon Nemec. “But today, we played well. And I think sometimes we were better than the United States of America.”
In net, Kaidan Mbereko of the USA, the 2022 World Junior starter, also saw his first action in the tournament. The USA outshot Slovakia 36-26, and Gajan was smooth and acrobatic.
Slovakia vs. United States – 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship
The contest of victories continues. Slovakia scored three goals in a 3:19 second period en route to an upset 6-3 victory over the Americans
Slovakia came out storming and quickly took a 1-0 lead at 2:14. Libor Nemec cut around defenseman Ryan Chesley at the blue line, broke in from the left, and curled his own rebound past Mbereko. The Slovak assistant captain is no relation to blueliner Simon Nemec, the #2 overall pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2022.
USA hit the right goal with a power play goal at 4:42. Gauthier directed the puck to Rutger McGroarty, who directed it to the net, and a portion of Boucher fell to Gajan as he slid in from his knees.
Slovakian coach Ivan Fenes challenged the goal on the grounds of goalkeeper interference, but after a video review, it was allowed to stand. Slovakia got a mini-game delay as a result.
The USA took a 2-1 lead immediately after a Slovakian penalty expired. Brindley beat Lane Hutson’s shot from the left over Gajan’s right shoulder.
In the second period, things temporarily settled into a defensive groove. Mbereko made a save around the eight-minute mark when Slovak assistant captain Filip Mesar, first rounder of Montreal 2022 (26th overall), set up Servac Petrovsky ahead of the Rush.
Then the tide turned in favor of Slovakia, suddenly and without warning.
At the halfway mark, Dvorsky made it 2-2 with the man advantage. The 17-year-old AIK forward, who was a top prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft, stepped in from the center point and sent a stunning wrister past substitute Mbereko. The Slovaks had a new life.
“Me and Maxim Strbak, we changed there a little,” Dvorsky. “He faced me and I faked a shot and then I shot and scored. Obviously that’s great, but I’m really happy that we won.”
Baco then went down the right wing around the blue line of the United States Jack Peart and fired a shot from outside the circle to the right at 11:48. The heaviest player on Slovakia’s roster at 100 kg, Baco slid hard into the final boards, but it wasn’t long before he was celebrating with his teammates on the bench.
The Slovaks kept coming and the US defense continued to struggle.
With a delay penalty on the Americans and an extra Slovakian attacker on the ice, Mesar made it 4-2 at 13:20 when his shot deflected off the half-stretched stick of Charlie Stramel. The Avenir Center crowd was cheering for the finalists, who were on their way to cross-border rivals Canada.
With less than four minutes left in the middle frame, Logan Cooley started a great solo show, but his Peter Forsberg-style one-handed goal attempt slipped wide.
Poor discipline hurts US hopes of a comeback. At 17:34, Kenny Connors threw a late hit on Slovakia’s David Natny in front of the USA bench and was ejected with a five-minute march and a game misconduct for boarding.
After the five-minute penalty expired in the third period, it was time for Gajan to put on his green gloves and paddle away from the NAHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. He robbed McGroarty and Chaz Lucius of excellent opportunities. At the other end, Mbereko stoned Alex Sotek on back-to-back chances and Adam Zlnka alone.
“We could expect that I will have more shots in the last period,” said Gajan. “So, I was a bit tired. But the guys helped me, so they made it easy for me.”
At 10:46, Repcik scored his tournament-leading third goal on a partial breakaway. He fought against Luke Hughes’ backcheck to hide his entrance, and the puck went into Hughes’ face.
At 15:08, Boucher got his second of the night with a power play rebound to cut the deficit to 5-3. But the Americans would come no closer despite Mbereko pulling for the extra attacker. Ciernik put the icing on the cake with an empty netter at 18:53.
Frustration erupted just before the buzzer with a scrum at the Slovakian end. After a long review, when Fenes’ team stood with their hands tied on their bench, Baco was deemed to have five minutes for cross-checking. The Slovaks celebrated wildly at the end of the game.
“After this game, you can not be tired!” said Simon Nemec, who played a game high 25:31. “A lot of good things in this game.”
With just two bronze medals (1999, 2015) to her credit all-time, the Slovak is hungry to keep her momentum going. This win doesn’t match the 5-3 upset of the Americans in the 2009 quarterfinal in Ottawa on 44 saves by goaltender Jaroslav Janus, but it’s still an important building block.
It was the fifth time Slovakia had beaten the US in 21 World Junior meetings. The Americans have 15 wins and one tie against Slovakia.
The USA takes on Switzerland on Thursday, and Slovakia takes on Latvia on Friday.
“I think we’re going to bounceback here, and we’re hungry,” Boucher said.
Sotek made his World Junior debut for Slovakia with one assist after being added to the roster on Wednesday. The 18-year-old striker from Poprad has a goal and two assists in 21 games for HC Slovan Bratislava this season.
Can 20 year olds play in World JUNIORS?
As a result, the Under-20 World Championships were given full world championship status. Called the World Junior Hockey Championship, the event was structured after the World Championships, but was limited to players under 20 years of age.
How old do you have to be to play in World Juniors? The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), or simply the “World Juniors” in ice hockey circles, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams around the world. To see also : NFL Week 1 Odds, Picks, How to Watch, Streaming: Expert Picks, Teasers, Survivors Picks & More.
What is the oldest you can play in World Junior Hockey?
Called the World Junior Hockey Championship, the event was structured after the World Championships, but was limited to players under 20 years of age.
Who is eligible for IIHF World Juniors?
To be able to participate in World Juniors, the player’s 20th birthday must be by the end of the competition year. With these requirements in place, the field of players is mostly between 17 and 20 years of age. On the same subject : 10 Hardest First Bosses In Video Games. In total, there are 25 players on each country’s roster.
Who is the youngest player in the World Juniors?
Connor Bedard became the youngest player at the World Juniors to score four goals in one game on Tuesday night. Bedard’s four goals helped Canada defeat Austria 11-2. This may interest you : Amazon Announces New ‘Thursday Night Live’ Jobs. Connor Bedard became the youngest player at the World Juniors to score four goals in one game on Tuesday night.
Who is hosting world junior hockey?
This year is Moncton’s first time playing a role in hosting the IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship.
Where is the 2023 World Junior Hockey?
Who is hosting World Juniors 2022?
This was the 17th time Canada hosted the WJIHC. Due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia was suspended from international ice hockey and replaced by Latvia (promoted to the top of the competition after finishing second in the Division 1A competition in December 2021 ).
Who is hosting the World Juniors in 2025?
| Competition details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries | Sweden Denmark |
| Dates | May 9–25 |
| Center(s) | 2 |
| 2026 |
Who won the bronze medal in Junior world Championship India?
There was also a bronze medal in the junior men’s rapid pistol team event, where Sameer Ghulia, Udhayveer Sidhu and Adarsh Singh beat Italy 16-2. China and Korea won the gold and silver respectively.
What is India’s position in the medal count in the ISSF World Championships 2022? ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Championship 2022: India finishes second with 34 medals – find winners list.
How many medals are bagged by the Indian shooting squad in junior shooting world championship?
India is currently second in the medal tally in the 2022 ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Championship with 15 medals, six gold, three silver and six bronze medals.
Who is eligible for World Junior Hockey?
A male player has participated for at least four consecutive years (1460 days) in the national competitions of his new country, during which time he has not moved to another country or played intramural ice hockey in any other country and he played for his country before that. in IIHF competition during the…
How old are the World Junior hockey players? Called the World Junior Hockey Championship, the event was structured after the World Championships, but was limited to players under 20 years of age.
Are World Juniors always in Canada?
Halifax and Moncton were announced as the new hosts in May 2022, marking the third consecutive World Junior Championships hosted by Canada (the last two, both affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, are being -mainly hosted by Edmonton, Alberta), and the second to be hosted by Halifax (which co-hosted the 2003…
How does the world junior hockey tournament work?
The 10 teams are divided into two groups, five teams in the Preliminary Round. After one round-robin series in each group, the top four teams from each group advance to the Relegation Round and the fifth-placed team in each group moves to the Relegation Round.
Who can play in the World Juniors?
About the World Junior Championship The 10-nation tournament features the world’s best players under the age of 20 and is a 31-match event held over a period of 10 days.
