The Swiss U20 team started the World Cup with a defeat. On the night of Thursday to Friday, in front of 3,561 spectators at TD, Place d’Ottawa, in Canada, the white cross selection coached by Marcel Jenni lost 5-1 to the Czech Republic. A score which suggests that a gap separated the performance of the two nations, but which does not entirely correspond to the reality of the facts.
If the Czechs, more talented, faster and a touch more physical than the Helvetians deserved their success, Basile Sansonnens and his teammates have objective reasons to curse goalkeeper Michael Hrabal who shone between the posts (25 saves).
The 38th choice in the 2023 NHL draft (by Arizona now Utah) multiplied the high-class parades in key moments. In particular by stealing a goal from Andro Kaderli, a few seconds before Miroslav Holinka signed the 1-0. And by remaining intractable during five sequences spent in numerical inferiority.
“I think we played well at certain moments of the match, but there were also things we could have done better,” said Bernese striker Jamiro Reber. Like creating more traffic in front of the opponent’s net and winning more one-on-one duels, in order to maximize the chances of lighting the lamp.
However, the game definitely went into the hands of the Czechs after a lucky move. In the 28th minute, the score became 3-0, when Eric Schneller accidentally deflected the puck into the Swiss net defended by Elijah Neuenschwander.
The young Helvetians will play their second match this Friday, at 7 p.m. (Swiss time) in the Canadian capital. They will face Slovakia, also beaten in their opening outing (2-5 against Sweden).
Czechia – Switzerland 5-1 (1-0 2-0 2-1)
TD Place, Ottawa. 3,561 spectators.
Referees: MM. Ansons (Let), Frandsen (Dan); Briganti (EU) and Nyqvist (Sue).
Buts: 5th Holinka (Galvas) 1-0, 27th Sale (Holinka, Galvas/5 c 4) 2-0, 28th Kos (Port, Fibigr) 3-0, 45th Stancl (Felcman, Jecho) 4-0, 48th Braillard ( E. Meier, S. Meier) 4-1, 58th Sikora (Stancl, Hradec/empty cage) 5-1.
Czechia: Raked; Husinecky, Galvas; Jiricek, Dvorak; Port, Fibigr; Coachman; Sale, Mastalirsky, Felcman; Sikora, Stancl, Hradec; Jecho, Novotny, Holinka; Zidlicky, Kos, Petr; A cigar. Coach: Augusta.
Suisse: E. Neuenschwander; Bunzley, Muggly; Crossbow, Rhyn; Sansonnens, Schneller; Johnson; Gruber, Antenna, Graf; Gredig, R. Meier, Kaderly; Reber, Dorthe, Steiner; Braillard, E. Meier, S. Meier. Coach: Jenni.
Penalties: 5 x 2′ against Czechia, 5 x 2′ against Switzerland.
