On the first day of the World Hockey Championship, Slovakia defeated France 4-2 in a great match, while the United States opened 4-1 against Latvia.
| The Slovaks win an exciting match (Photo: IIHF) |
In group A. The match between the Slovaks and the French was very exciting in Helsinki. With a hit from Pavol Reginda and Tomas Tatar, the Slovaks went 2-0 up, but Anthony Rich and Jordan Perrett had scored 2-2 midway through the second quarter. And the second 20 minutes ended with Slovakia leading, as Samuel Takac scored.
The match is a classic ending. In the third, two minutes before the end, the French dropped their goalkeeper, but the equalizer did not come. Moreover, Regenda took advantage of the fact that the opponent’s goal was empty, and eight seconds before the last bagpipe, he scored his second and fourth goal for his team.
In group B. In Tampere, the United States smoothly defeated Latvia. Midway through the first quarter, they also scored three goals in four good minutes by Riley Barber, Seth Jones and Thomas Bordello, the latter scoring in human damage.
Only half a minute passed in the second half, when Sam Laverty also scored a goal, but the Latvians later gathered for a makeover. At the end of the second 20 minutes, they had a double human advantage and the penalty was extended to the final third. The Americans almost fled, but two seconds before the end of the second round, Anders Dzirenz was pushing the Latvians. They didn’t get close, so the American game ended 4-1 successfully.
hockey
World Championship, Finland
round 1
Group A (Helsinki)
France – Slovakia 2-4 (0-1, 2-2, 0-1)
Later
19.20: Canada and Germany
Group Two (Tampere)
United States – Latvia 4-1 (3-0, 1-0, 0-1)
Later
19.20: Finland-Norway (TV: Sports 2)
