- The women’s national ice hockey team did not live up to their role as favorites against the Czech Republic in the bronze medal match at the World Cup.
- Colin Muller’s team lost 4-2 in Herning, Denmark.
- As a result, Switzerland missed out on the second World Cup medal it was aiming for after 2012.
10 years after the only medal coup so far, the women’s ice hockey world championship ended in disappointment from a Swiss perspective. Colin Muller’s team lost 4-2 to the Czech Republic in the match for third place, clearly missing out on the bronze medal they were aiming for.
In Herning, Denmark, the Swiss put on a staid performance against opponents who, on paper, were clearly worse.
Got into the game 40 minutes late
Only in the last third was the rebellion against the impending defeat at least recognizable. Until then, the shooting ratio was 24:5 in favor of the Eastern Europeans. The 1:4 mortgage at this point was too heavy: Nicole Vallario’s goal to make it 2:4 after 50 minutes came too late and marked the end of the game.
Already in the 6th minute, the Swiss hopes for bronze suffered for the first time. Natalie Mlyknova shot her outnumbered team in front. Alina Marti managed to equalize in the 10th minute with the first Swiss goal ever – it was the 2nd Powerplay hit for Switzerland in a row after 20 overtime situations without a goal.
But thanks to goals from Daniela Pejsova (16′), Vendula Pribylova (23′) and again Mlynkova (30′), the Czechs had already pulled a decisive 4-1 lead by the halfway point.
Czech Republic with 1st World Cup medal ever
So Muller and his players had to settle for fourth place instead of celebrating their second medal after winning bronze at the 2012 World Cup. For their part, the Czech Republic, which surprisingly advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-1 coup aet against Finland, celebrated their first World Cup medal ever.
Switzerland also played in the most important game of the tournament without top player Alina Müller, who had already returned to Switzerland after suffering from corona disease.
USA or Canada: who will win gold?
In the evening, the USA and Canada duel for World Cup gold. In 20 of the last 21 tournaments, the two countries have won the gold medal among themselves – only in 2019 did Finland surprisingly join the phalanx.