Slovaks Claim Second Win Thanks to Dominant Start

Goals and assists

1. Straka (Hryzák, Revaj), 4. Pisarovič (Mráz, Benko), 6. Hryzák (Straka, Korbáš), 35. Pisarovič (Martinusík, Mráz)

Referees

Mike Grewall, Jakub Musil

Spectators

849

Slovakia

Surák - Dubeň, I. Gajdoš, Kozák, Lopušan, Mikula, Revaj, Salajka, Stümpel, Šulik - Balát, Benko, Hryzák, Klema, Korbáš, Lipiansky, Martinusík, Mráz, Olejník, Piják, Pisarovič, Straka, Šatka

USA

Mangini (4. A. Carter) - Andes, Caron, N. Carter, Dutney, Melillo, Nikolajski, Smith - Battista, Biagetti, Bruno, Callahan, Fornaris, Kleckner, Malloy, Manning Almeida, McStravick, Phillips, Tumminello, Wilson, Wood

COACHES´ REACTIONS

Milan Rampáček (SVK): "The foundation of today's victory was our strong defensive performance. The entire team played with great responsibility and commitment, and we could also rely on an excellent performance from our goalkeeper. Everything started with our defensive structure, which allowed us to stay patient and wait for the right opportunities to strike. Since the beginning of the tournament, our goal has been to build from a solid defense and concede as few goals as possible. We know we have enough quality offensively to make the difference when chances come. A key moment in today's game was our power play, where we managed to score twice and build a lead that was very difficult for the opposition to overcome. We knew we were facing a strong opponent. The United States are a fast, aggressive team with a lot of individual talent. That is why it was crucial to capitalize on the opportunities we created. I believe we were highly efficient in that area, and that efficiency played a major role in securing today's win."

James Mentis (USA): "I thought we played a good game overall. We came up against a goalkeeper who was in excellent form and made several important saves throughout the match. Despite the result, I was pleased with our performance, as we created opportunities and competed well for the full game. In my opinion, discipline was the deciding factor. We need to stay out of the penalty box and avoid giving opponents extra opportunities. Their power play was very effective, and their second power-play goal was probably the key moment of the game. Credit goes to the opposition for making the most of their chances. They showed quality both on special teams and in goal. We will take lessons from this game, focus on improving our discipline, and continue working on the details that can make the difference in close matches."