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Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jeremy Swayman's ‘Pinch Yourself' Moment
The USA won its first gold medal at a stand-alone IIHF World Championship since 1933 on Sunday, thanks to a 25-save shutout by Jeremy Swayman in the final – a 1-0 overtime victory over Switzerland. 'It's unbelievable,' Swayman smiled after the game to 'It's mission accomplished. This is a long time coming for USA Hockey so I'm glad to be a part of it.' Following a difficult season with the Boston Bruins, Swayman refound his game in Scandinavia this year, posting a 1.69 goals-against average, a .921 save percentage and two shutouts in seven games. Playing in his second World Championship, Swayman was spectacular throughout, not only in the final, and was constantly praised by his teammates throughout. 'Sway's the man,' Conor Garland said after the semifinal win over Sweden. 'Sway's the best. He's just a dog in there.' 'Tage (Thompson) makes a great play in overtime, makes a lot of great saves to keep us in it all game and we came out on the right side,' defenseman Zach Werenski said after the final. Swayman's 25th save of the game was his biggest. Almost a minute into overtime, Denis Malgin carried the puck into the U.S. zone, circled the net and fired a shot that just caught a piece of Swayman's glove and deflected out of play. It was his only save in overtime, but without it, there would have been no opportunity for Thompson's heroics a little over minute later. 'Right at home,' Swayman smiled. 'I love that stuff. That's why we play. It's a big moment and I knew we were going to get it done, so that's something I'll never forget.' Photo © Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Zach Werenski Says Johnny Gaudreau 'Deserves This Gold Medal More Than Anyone' Zach Werenski had a great World Championship. He missed the first couple of games but it was no coincidence that the U.S. team got much better after he arrived. In seven games, Werenski had six points and was voted to the tournament all-star team by accredited media and named Top Defenseman by the tournament directorate. Tage Thompson's OT Goal 'Didn't Feel Real; It Still Doesn't' Like a lot of the members of the team that represented the USA at this year's IIHF World Championship, Tage Thompson has had success at the U-18 and U-20 levels internationally, but gold had eluded him at this level.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Zach Werenski: ‘Olympics Still A Long Way Off'
After initially declining an invitation to play at this year's IIHF World Championship, Zach Werenski had a change of heart and the US team is thankful for that. The Columbus Blue Jackets' defenseman has four points in four games since joining the team, as the USA got progressively better throughout the group stage. The team finished second in Group B after a come-from-behind 5-2 win over Czechia on Tuesday. 'It was a big win,' Werenski said in the mixed zone after the game, as reported by Dominik Jarka of 'The Czechs are very good, which is why they won last year in Prague. It was a tough test, and fortunately we passed.' The Americans had a wide 56-27 edge in shots in the game but trailed 2-1 after 40 minutes, largely due to going 0-for-4 on the power play. The team finally scored twice with the man advantage in the third period. 'The power play suddenly started clicking,' said Werenski. 'We controlled the tempo for most of the game. We were the better team and I think we deserved to win. This was our best game of the tournament so far.' Can This Roster Break USA's World Championship Semifinal Curse? Can the team that USA Hockey has assembled to represent the country at this year's IIHF World Championship reach the final? Previous teams have appeared good enough on paper. Werenski is a big addition to this team. After a season in which he recorded 82 points in 81 NHL games, he was nominated for the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman. He downplayed suggestions that he might win the award, though. 'It sounds nice but I think I know who will win,' he smiled, referring to Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche. As for his team's year, he said, 'It was a great season. It's really very unfortunate that it didn't work out in the end – we were so close to the playoffs – but I guess it wasn't meant to be. You know, we improved enormously during the year and we're definitely optimistic going into next season.' Next season also includes the Olympics, which Werenski would easily be in if the teams were chosen today. He picked up six assists in four games for the USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off this season, proving he can also produce offensively at international hockey's highest level. 'It's still a long way off so there's no point stressing about it,' he said about making the Olympic team. 'We all probably have it in the back of our minds, everyone would like to go to Milan, but I expect that how we all play at the beginning of next season will play the biggest role. 'Winning this tournament would certainly help, though,' he smiled. Adam Fantilli & Kent Johnson Asked About Elvis Merzlikins One of the interesting things about covering the IIHF World Championships as a journalist is the media presence from the different participating countries. As a nation that is crazy about hockey, Latvia always sends a significant number of journalists to cover the tournament and, like a lot of Latvians, were disappointed when Elvis Merzlikins announced that he wouldn't be representing his country this year.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dalibor Dvorský Was A Healthy Scratch Against Latvia; Slovak Coach Explains
On Sunday, Slovakia's chances of advancing to the IIHF World Championship quarterfinals were dealt a fatal blow when the team lost 5-1 to Latvia. It was somewhat of a surprise when Dalibor Dvorský of St. Louis Blues prospect was not in the Slovak lineup for the game, but it was assumed he must have been dealing with some sort of physical ailment. After the game, however, coach Vladimír Országh revealed that he had benched the 19-year-old winger and explained why. ''Dalo' is a generational talent,' the Slovak coach began, as reported by Dominik Dubovči of 'One day, if he does things right and is well-adjusted – which I think he is – he will be the leader of the national team. But we cannot consider young Dalibor a leader right now. He is in his first World Championship and he played in a junior league last year. 'He hasn't grown into that role yet. He still lacks a lot of things to be there. We decided to leave him in the stands because he was struggling with shooting, he wasn't getting chances and he had quite significant problems on defense. He also needs to work on his physical play. 'This is a huge learning process for him. He's great on the power play, but here the opponents read him and quickly got to him. We also want to protect him from the pressure. He understands that, in short, and he'll be ready for the next game. But we can't expect a 19-year-old kid to be a difference-maker here.' Dalibor Dvorský's Timeline Over The Next Few Days, From AHL to World Juniors At first, it was uncertain whether he'd be playing. Then he was coming, but nobody was sure exactly when. On Thursday, Dalibor Dvorský revealed to Slovak media his timetable for the next few days. Dvorský has one assist in five games for Slovakia this tournament, but nobody on the team has more than two points. The Slovaks' struggles are not a big surprise as no full-time NHLers are on the team. The most experienced player on the team is San Jose Sharks prospect Pavol Regenda, who has 19 NHL games under his belt. Dvorský played two for the Blues this season. There has been a lot of discussion in Slovakia about why Tomáš Tatar, Juraj Slafkovský, Martin Pospišíl and Šimon Nemec are absent this year despite their teams either missing the playoffs or being knocked out in the first round. Slafkovský's war of words with the Slovak Ice Hockey Association and Pospišíl's – and possibly other players' – objections to the inclusion of KHL players on the team get mentioned. Martin Pospíšil after Olympic qualifiers: 'It was never anything against the players' from the KHL Martin Pospíšil was calm and reflective after Slovakia's 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan on Sunday in Bratislava, which qualified the team for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. 'I don't think it's that they don't want to play for us,' said Országh. 'Last year they all came, including for the Olympic qualifiers. This year there were a lot of reasons, but the guys had long seasons, the Olympics are ahead of them... I completely understand them. We talked a lot with the guys and discussed the reasons.' Országh, 47, was suddenly promoted to head coach of the Slovak team in April after Craig Ramsay had to step aside due to a bout with pneumonia. Országh played 289 NHL games with the New York Islanders, Nashville Predators and St. Louis between 1997 and 2006. He represented Slovakia at five World Championships and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. 'When my generation played in the NHL, we had the same setup,' said Országh. 'I certainly don't want to make excuses for that. The difference is that there were 30 of us playing in the NHL, so there were always players who could come. We don't have that many hockey players there today.' Predicting Slovakia's 2026 Olympic roster By winning their group at the final round of qualifying this past weekend, the Slovaks have qualified for the men's ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Austria-Slovakia Shootout Ends in Controversy
Austria and Slovakia were tied 2-2 after 65 minutes of hockey, meaning their IIHF World Championship Group A game had to be decided in a shootout. Each team had scored once in the first four shootout rounds, and then Peter Schneider scored a brilliant goal on Austria's fifth shot to take the lead. Slovakia's Michal Krištof had to score to keep the game alive, and then … 'I had an empty net and suddenly I was on the ground, so I don't know,' said Krištof, who was reportedly much calmer in the mixed zone than he was on the ice. 'Then I watched the replay on the scoreboard.' Ukázkový faul. Nedivím se, že byl Krištof v pozápasovém rozhovoru hodně kyselý. Rakousko porazilo Slovensko 3:2 po nájezdech. — Eliška (@eliska_tweetuje) May 12, 2025 In an attempt to poke-check Krištof, Austrian goaltender David Kickert tripped him. If referees had judged that the trip had occurred before Krištof had completed his shot attempt, he would have been awarded another shot. But that's not what happened. Dominik Dubovči of got post-game reactions from the mixed zone and, not surprisingly, opinions differed along team lines. The Slovak fans booed and whistled loudly throughout the post-game ceremonies. 'Yeah, I can confirm that, the whole arena was yelling at me pretty loudly,' Kickert smiled bitterly. 'I can only describe it from my perspective ... I didn't mean to trip the Slovak player on purpose, I just wanted to move behind the puck and I needed to finish the hand movement to do that. 'But of course I'm glad he didn't get to do the shot over.' 'In my opinion, it was a clear infraction – it definitely looked like it,' said Slovak center Miloš Roman. 'But the referees made their decision and we can't do anything about it. They had another meeting and I asked them if they would go and watch the video. But they apparently agreed that nothing happened, that the shot was completed and the situation was over.' KHL Team Angry Over Slovak Player's Departure; Threatens Legal Action Slovak center Michal Krištof, 31, signed a contract to play in Switzerland for the SCL Tigers through the end of the current season, the National League club announced on Thursday. 'I think he still managed to finish, to complete the move – even the referees explained it that way,' said Austrian captain Thomas Raffl. 'I asked the referees, they said they saw the shot first, then the fall,' said Slovak coach Vladimír Országh, also more composed than he was on the bench at the time. 'But we lost this game mainly in the first period, we can't blame that on the referees. We had power plays and again come up with nothing.' Austria led 2-0 after one period on goals by Schneider and Marco Kasper of the Detroit Red Wings. Calgary Flames prospect Samuel Honzek scored for Slovakia in the second period and captain Matúš Sukeľ tied it midway through the third. After three games each, Austria now has its first two points after narrow losses to Finland and Sweden. Slovakia has four points after a loss to Sweden and a win over Slovenia. Filip Forsberg: 'You Can Talk [Crap] About Austria As Much As You Want, But They're Good' After a dominant 5-0 win over Slovakia in their opening game of the 2025 IIHF World Championship, the Swedes had more trouble with their second game against Austria, needing a late comeback to win 4-2. Swedish media didn't seem impressed with the team's performance in the second game, but when asked about it Filip Forsberg was full of praise for the Austrian team.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Adam Klapka Scores First 2 IIHF Goals: ‘It's Something You Dream About'
Adam Klapka played his first IIHF World Championship game on Thursday against Hungary but his second game on Saturday was more memorable. The 24-year-old Calgary Flames winger recorded two goals and an assist in an 8-1 victory over Kazakhstan. He assisted on Jakub Flek's goal early in the second period to make it 2-0 but waited until the third period to score his goals. Before that, he missed a couple of point-blank chances. Advertisement 'Honestly, I was a little angry with myself,' he told the media after the game, according to 'When you're alone in the slot, you should score because it doesn't happen very often. I should convert these chances. But I'm glad I finally found a way to score.' Did he ever. A minute into the third period, he picked up the corner deep in his own zone and went end-to-end, beating five Kazakhs and splitting the defense along the way to give the Czechs a 5-0 lead. 'The defenseman hit my stick and the puck went up in the air,' he said about the finish. 'I wanted to bury it under (the goalie) and I found a hole between the legs, so I put it there.' Advertisement His second goal closed out the scoring in the final minute. 'Flíček (Flek) wanted to pass it to me and it hit a Kazakh stick, so again from the air, I just wanted to try to put it past the goalie, and fortunately I did,' Klapka described. Adam Klapka playing for the Calgary Flames in the 2024-25 season. © Sergei Belski-Imagn Images 'I really enjoyed it. It's something you dream about when you watch the World Championship at home.' Klapka wasn't the only Czech to record three points in the game. Captain Roman Červenka, a former Flame, recorded a hat trick. "I'm happy for him,' said Klapka. Roman is a professional and you can learn a lot from him. He's the first to enter the locker room and the last to leave. I like watching how he takes care of himself – it's inspiring. It's incredible to enjoy time with him like this and be right there.' Adam Klapka: 'I knew deep down that I would play in the NHL one day' Adam Klapka: 'I knew deep down that I would play in the NHL one day' At 6-foot-8 and 236 pounds, Adam Klapka is a hard guy to miss. But the Czech winger managed to fly under the radar for much of his amateur career and even in his early years as a pro. He never played in the U18 Worlds or the World Juniors, was never drafted by an NHL team and at age 21, split the season between the Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga and HC Benátky nad Jizerou of the tier-two Chance Liga. Advertisement With injured Jakub Lauko due back into the lineup at some point and speculation about the addition of David Kämpf to the Czech team if the Toronto Maple Leafs get eliminated on Sunday, Klapka doesn't know if he'll get the chance to play any more games in this tournament, but he'll be ready if he does. 'It's up to the coaches,' he said. 'I tried to do my best in the two games I played. We'll see how it goes. I'll do what the coaches say and be ready for anything.' Czechs Eyeing Kämpf If Leafs Lose Game 7; Hertl Hurt Czechs Eyeing Kämpf If Leafs Lose Game 7; Hertl Hurt Czechia still has a free forward spot on its World Championship roster and the team is apparently eyeing David Kämpf in the event the Toronto Maple Leafs lose Game 7 of their Stanley Cup second-round playoff series to the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
