Czechia U18 celebrate 5-3 victory after comeback against Switzerland

The Czechs had a rough start as Switzerland quickly took the lead thanks to Luis Klaus. The same player capitalized on the confusion in front of Kočka's net to make it 2-0 from a rebound. However, Matěj Pavlíček quickly cut the margin in half, and after the intermission, he added another one to tie the game. Jakub Mikula then completed the Czech comeback as he successfully tapped in the ball, with captain Petr Lehner scoring right after to give the hosts a two-goal lead. Pablo Berchtold's goal late in the second period made the ending more dramatic, especially as Switzerland had several power-play opportunities. The Swiss couldn't score on any of them, though, and thanks to Oliver Malý's cannon shot, the Czechs set the final score to 5-3.

Svijanska Arena 1

3-5

(2:1, 1:3, 0:1)

Switzerland U18 - Czechia U18

Penalties

7:9

PPG

2:1

SHG

0:0

Shots on goal

9:36

Goals and assists

1. Klaus (Kohli, Andermatt), 8. Klaus (Andermatt), 26. Berchtold (Straub) – 13. Pavlíček, 20. Pavlíček (Lehner), 21. Mikula (Daníček, Rod), 23. Lehner (Pavlíček, Krbec), 32. Malý (Daníček, Rod)

Referees

Michael Vitello, Roman Jančík

Official game sheet

Switzerland U18

Della Rossa – Flüeler, Wyss, Spahni, Bernhard, Riesen, Lüscher, Uhr, Vanoli, Leutert, Plattner, Hegglin, Andermatt, Stein, Canosa, Berchtold, Bongni, Lüthi, Kohli (A), Huber, Klaus, Straub (A), Jaussi (C)

Czechia U18

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

COACHES´ REACTIONS

Nick van Orsouw (SUI): „It was a good match and it was close. We were leading against the Czechs, but then we had lot of penalties, which decided the game. But it was a fantastic match. When I compare it to yesterday, it was excellent. The player of the match, Luis Klaus, was incredible.“

Martin Davídek (CZE): „Yesterday we had a team meeting where we said that this was a crucial match for us. I would say it was a bit calmer. Certainly, our opponents played a part as well. There were still a few imperfections and mistakes. But today was finally a truly team performance. Excellent forechecking, a lot of shots. There was also visible cooperation, which was lacking in our previous matches. I think the guys enjoyed it, and I'm glad for them.“