Czechs collect first win in Ostrava by beating Finland 8–6

Goals and assists

3. Bláha (Laurinc, Wrobel), 18. Kohout (Laurinc, Kastner), 26. Bílý (Vaněk, Hudec), 30. Kucharčík (Čejka), 37. Rozlílek (Čejka), 39. Bláha (Wrobel, Kohout), 39. Čejka (Rozlílek, Hrabár), 42. Čejka (Kucharčík) – 6. Hyvönen (Wolin, Kärkkäinen), 24. Pietsalo (Sirkkala, A. Herpin), 30. Kärkkäinen (Keskinen, Jokirinne), 34. Hyvönen (Kylmäniemi, Jokirinne), 38. Sirkkala (Pietsalo, Viitanen), 41. Kylmäniemi (Wolin, Jokirinne)

Referees

Adrian Goddard, Michal Laczko

Spectators

3526

Czechia

Mokry - Fanderlik, Hrabár, Hudec, Kastner, Kubíček, Laurinc, Vaniš, Školoudík, Šlehofer - Bláha, Bílý, Jágr, Kohout, Kucharčík, Langr, Lhota, Pavlíček, Rozlílek, Vaněk, Wrobel, Zvonek, Čejka

Finland

Kuusamo - Keskinen, Liedes, Marjeta, Meri, Tapper, Vanttaja, Viitanen, Wolin - A. Herpin, Hyvönen, Jeskanen, Jokirinne, Kangas, Koskela, Koskinen, Kylmäniemi, Kärkkäinen, Mourujärvi, Mäenalanen, Painilainen, Pietsalo, Sirkkala

The Finns arrived in Ostrava in excellent physical condition and made life difficult for the Czech side from the opening face-off. The hosts struck first after less than 150 seconds, as Matyáš Bláha converted a precise cross-ice pass from Laurinc. However, Finland responded shortly afterward when Mikko Hyvönen's shot found its way past Czech goaltender Mokry, tying the game at 1–1. The visitors continued to impress throughout the remainder of the period, and it was no surprise that the Czech team could not find a way past goaltender Villehart Kuusamo again before the intermission.

The Finnish netminder remained the central figure after the first break. Martin Kohout restored the Czech lead at 17:52 with a clever deflection from close range, but Kuusamo then turned away a barrage of Czech chances. Finland needed only one trip into the offensive zone to equalize, as Antoine Herpin scored from the right circle to make it 2–2. The closing moments of the middle period featured a brief scoring exchange. Jan Bílý put the Czechs ahead, only for Henrik Kärkkäinen to level the score on the power play with ten seconds remaining. It seemed the teams would head into the locker room tied, but with just fractions of a second left, Samuel Neo Kucharčík poked the ball home to give the Czech Republic a 4–3 lead after two periods.

The third period saw the momentum swing back and forth. Mikko Hyvönen scored his second goal of the game to tie things up once again, before Vít Rozlílek restored the Czech advantage. Finland responded immediately through Santtu Sirkkala, whose quick rebound made it 5–5. That was when the hosts finally managed to pull away. Just 27 seconds after Matyáš Bláha scored his second goal of the night, recently crowned Extraliga scoring leader Jan Čejka found the net as well. Finland narrowed the gap thanks to Jesse Kylmäniemi, but the final word belonged to Czech sharpshooter Jan Čejka, whose second goal of the game sealed the final score at 8–6.

COACHES´ REACTIONS

David Kuna (CZE): "We are happy to start the tournament with a win. There was some nervousness on our side, which is understandable given the importance of the game and the number of new players in the team. However, we managed the game well, and that is very valuable for us. We faced a strong and well-organized opponent who was able to punish every mistake we made. That made the game challenging and showed us where we still need to improve. On the other hand, we showed character, handled difficult moments well, and found a way to secure the victory. This result is a positive start, but it does not mean anything yet. Our focus is already on the next game, which could be even more demanding. We know that every point can be crucial in a tournament like this, so we want to build on today's performance, stay committed to our system, and keep moving forward step by step toward our goals."

Antti Koskela (FIN): "I think we played a very good game. We had our own game plan and executed it really well in the first period. The opening period was especially important because of the fantastic home crowd and the great atmosphere, so getting off to a strong start was crucial. In the second period, we made a few mistakes, but that's part of the game. I'm not overly disappointed about that. What was important is that we showed everyone we can score goals and create offense. At the same time, we know there is still room for improvement in our defensive play. The best thing about this game was that we proved to ourselves that we can fight our way back when things get difficult. That's what winning teams do. We take things one game at a time, stay focused on the next challenge, and stick to the plan we've prepared."