Czechia U18 fell just short to USA

The United States couldn't have asked for a better start. Ethan Alter finished a quick counter-attack with a precise shot in the five hole. However, the Czech's spirit was strong, and they equalized with a brilliant strike by Marek Daníček just under the crossbar. Zach Warner-Senee punished mistakes in defense with a shot into the corner of the net just after the first intermission. Marek Daníček kept Czech hopes alive and equalized again with his second of the game, but shortly after, Jacob Battista's shot slipped in between Kočka's pads and the USA were up again. The back-and-forth battle continued, and after Kenny Cadwaller's goal, Radek Vyhlídal narrowed the margin to one goal again. However, the United States managed to fend the Czechs off in the very intense dying minutes to secure a narrow 4-3 victory, claiming the US' first win at the tournament.

Svijanska Arena 1

3-4

(1:1, 1:2, 1:1)

Czechia U18 - USA U18

Penalties

4:8

PPG

1:0

SHG

0:0

Shots on goal

30:24

Goals and assists

13. Daníček (Mikula, Rod), 23. Daníček (Rod, Duchek), 43. Vyhlídal (Daníček) – 1. Alter (Battista, Warner-Senee), 20. Warner-Senee (Manning-Almeida, Cadwallader), 24. Battista (Warner-Senee), 37. Cadwallader (Battista)

Referees

Michael Vitello, Roman Jančík

Official game sheet

Czechia U18

Kočka – Drechsler, Kamaryt (A), Plán, Malý, Musílek, Duchek, Zámečník, Vyhlídal – Pavlíček, Daníček (A), Pilař, Kantor, Kachlík, Mikšovský, Šlechta, Žežulka, Lehner (C), Rod, Jedelský, Krbec, Mikula

USA U18

Scanlon – Regalski, Morin (C), Warner-Senee, Johnson, Bigenho, O'Meila – Meek, O'Connor, Biagetti, Dibenedetto, Nackrelli, Impagliazzo, Heenan, Battista (A), Tosh, Thomas, Cadwallader, Alter, Manning-Almeida

COACHES´ REACTIONS

Martin Davídek (CZE): „We entered the match with great determination, but it was a bit awkward from us. There was no cohesion, we made a lot of individual mistakes, and we didn't mark the players well. Although we had chances towards the end, unfortunately, we couldn't equalize. However, it's only the first match, and I believe we will improve.“

Edward Costa (USA): „It was a very good match, the game flowed from side to side. It was the first game, so it took us a while to settle down. Overall, though, I am satisfied. Now we will analyze it on video and improve for the next match.“