- Switzerland suffered its fourth defeat in the fourth game of the Ice Hockey World Championships in Utica.
- Colin Muller’s team lost 1:6 against the Czech Republic.
- The Swiss will face Finland in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
The Swiss would have needed a win with a difference of 4 goals in the last World Cup group game against the Czech Republic in order to reach 3rd place in Group A. It became apparent in the first minute of the game that this would probably be impossible. After Rahel Enzler missed a top chance, the Czechs quickly switched gears and scored in the direct counterattack to take a 1-0 lead. Aneta Tejralova defeated Saskia Maurer in the Swiss goal after just 37 seconds.
Switzerland was able to react to the early blow in the starting third. With double the advantage, it was Captain Lara Stalder in the 17th minute who scored the 1-1 with a delayed wrist shot. The 29-year-old had already equalized the game the day before against Finland.
Czech double strike
The equalizer clearly gave the Swiss women self-confidence. Colin Muller’s team acted cheekily in the middle third and created a few opportunities. However, most of the action took place in the Swiss third. The Czech Republic had a clear increase in chances, but failed repeatedly due to Maurer, who was in a good mood. Towards the end of the second period, the Czechs were able to reward themselves – and twice as much:
- 35th minute: Denisa Krizova moves down the right side into the Swiss third and passes into the slot where Tereza Vanisova cleverly skates the puck into the goal.
- 36th minute: Only around a minute after the new opening goal, Natalie Mlynkova made it 3-1. The 22-year-old is successful with a backhand finish.
In the final third the Czechs started to show off. There were still 3 goals for the audience in the arena in Utica to see. Daniela Pejsova made it 4-1 in the power play in the 50th minute. Mlynkova scored the 5th goal 6 minutes later – and even became a triple goal scorer after a solo 4 seconds before the end of the game. It was the final point in this game, which was only really competitive in the starting third.
This is how it continues
Despite the fourth defeat in the fourth game, Switzerland is in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. This was because Muller’s team played in the stronger Group A and was therefore automatically qualified for the knockout phase before the tournament began. There the national team will play against the Finns on Thursday, to which Switzerland lost 2:5 in the group phase. You can watch the game, which starts at either 4 or 7:30 p.m., live on SRF.