Hockey players collided for the first time. They lost to Finland 1:4

Czech hockey players entered the Czech Games (Betano Hockey Games) in Brno by defeating Finland 1:4. In the seventh match of the final preparations for the World Championship in Prague, they suffered their first defeat after successful double matches against Germany, Austria and Slovakia.

In total, the winning streak of Radim Rulík’s men, including the duel with Switzerland at the end of February’s Swedish Games, stopped at seven games. On Saturday, the Czechs will play against Sweden from 16:00.

The Finns decided in the second period, in which defender Villi Saarijärvi first opened the scoring in the 30th minute on the power play, and 66 seconds before the break, forward Arttu Hyry added from the crossbar. Oliver Kapanen secured the lead in the 48th minute. Jáchym Kondelík scored his first goal in the national team at 56:51 on the power play, but in the continuing game without a goalkeeper, Jere Innal sealed the result 22 seconds before the end.

Coach Jukka Jalonen’s team defeated the Czech Republic for the second time in a row and overtook them in second place in the Euro Hockey Tour standings by a score. The Czechs started with eight reinforcements from the NHL. The Finns had only two available – defender Olli Määttä from Detroit and forward Jesse Puljujärvi from Pittsburgh.

In the beginning, Säteri was checked by Kempný, and Gudas sent Innal to the ice with a hard save. Then Gudas fired from the blue line in the 3rd minute and prevented Beránek from hitting the open goal by lifting Hyra’s stick. When the Finns were sent off for having too many players on the ice, Kubalík’s shot from the right circle was blocked by the goalkeeper of Swiss Biel and Ondřej Kovařčík had a chance at the goal post.

On the other side, he tried to find Kapanen Puljujärvi, but he had no chance to finish with a backhand from the angle. In the middle of the first half, Flek offered the puck between the circles to a free Ondřej Kovařčík, who shot over. In the 16th minute, in another two-on-one situation after a pass by Radim Zohorna, Beránek did not have an accurate cross.

In the 23rd minute, after a backhand pass from Ondřej Kovařčík, his brother Michal did not push the puck past Säteri’s long stick. Then the Finns had their first big chances. But Dostál struck three times in quick succession with Kapanen’s chance, Innala’s save and Rissanen’s next attempt. Säteri again dealt with Beránková’s shot from the right circle.

In Rutto’s elimination, he first got in front of Säteri’s Nosek in the weakening, but was unable to finish. In the end, the Finns used the power play. Puistola charged Saarijärvi on the edge of the right circle, who hit the exact opposite upper corner of Dostál’s goal. The Czechs could answer in the 33rd minute after Rissanen’s dismissal, when Kubalík headed into the top post from the right circle. Rulík’s selection had a lot of pressure in the power play, he shot Zadin three times and Zohorna pushed into the goal area.

Kubalík checked Säteri even with the full number of players on the ice. On the other hand, the Finns were happy about the goal 64 seconds before the second break. After Riitol’s shot, Dostál hit the right concrete against Puistol, who tried to kick the puck with his skates in an ideal position, but Hyry had already scored from the stop.

At the beginning of the final act, the Finnish goalkeeper dealt with a shot by Matěj Stránský. The Finns defended carefully, did not allow the home team any chances and struck again in the 48th minute. After Kaski’s shot was scored by Innala, the puck bounced to Kapanen, who celebrated his first goal in the national team.

The Czech team has not yet managed to get a clean sheet from Säteri even in the next two overtimes with penalties from Jormakka and Innaly, Beránek failed from the stop. Only during the power play after Stránský’s pass did Kondelík head into the open goal and get his first goal in the fifth game in the national team. The Czechs continued without Dostál, failed with shots from Ondřej Kovařčík and Zadina, and Innal scored into an empty net.

Czech Hockey Games (Betano Hockey Games) in Brno, the final tournament of the Euro Hockey Tour:

Czech Republic – Finland 1:4 (0:0, 0:2, 1:2)

Goals and assists: 57. Kondelík (M. Stránský) – 30. Saarijärvi (Puistola, Jormakka), 39. Hyry (Puistola, Riikola), 48. O. Kapanen, 60. Innala. Referees: Harnebring (Sweden), Tscherrig (Switzerland) – Hynek (Czech Republic), Schlegel (Switzerland). Exclusion: 1:4. Usage: 0:1. Viewers: 7312.

CR: Dostál – Gudas, Kempný, Rutta, Mašín, D. Špaček, Krejčík, Zábranský, Ticháček – Flek, M. Kovařčík, O. Kovařčík – M. Stránský, Kodýtek, Zadina – D. Kubalík, T. Nosek, Palát – O. Beránek, Kondelík, R. Zohorna. Coach: Rulík.

Finland: Säteri – Kaski, Rissanen, Saarijärvi, Riikola, Matinmikko, O. Määttä, Rindell, Jesper Mattila – Puljujärvi, O. Kapanen, Innala – Jormakka, Julius Mattila, Oksanen – Pakarinen, Björninen, Jääskä – Nurmi, Hyry, Luoto – Puistola. Coach: J. Jalonen.

Switzerland – Sweden 1:2 (0:0, 0:0, 1:2)

Goals and assists: 56. Thürkauf – 52. Zetterlund (Sörensen), 53. Brodin (Friberg). Referee: Fraňo (Czech Republic), Vikman (Fin.) – Fuchs, Cattaneo (both Swiss). Exclusion: 1:0. No use. Viewers: 4537.

Switzerland: Berra – Loeffel, Siegenthaler, Fora, Aebischer, Egli, Jung, Baragano, Geisser – Thürkauf, Hischier, Kurashev – Moy, Haas, Ambühl – Simion, Senteler, Herzog – Ch. Bertschy, Richard, Scherwey-Künzle. Coach: Fischer.

Sweden: Wallstedt – Heed, Fantenberg, L. Bengtsson, Nemeth, Sellgren, Brodin, Berglund – Friberg, L. Johansson, Nygard – Holtz, Eriksson Ek, V. Olofsson – Lekkerimäki, Ehn, Unger Sörum – Zetterlund, Lundeström, Sörensen – Let’s go in. Coach: Hallam.

Table of Czech Games: