The Danish ice hockey team secured their first victory at the current World Championship, confidently defeating Slovenia 4-0. This success allowed the Danes to keep their chances alive in Group B.
The Danish national team confidently defeated Slovenia 4-0 in a group stage match of the ice hockey World Championship on Saturday in Fribourg.
Despite the final score, the first period ended without any goals. Moreover, the Slovenians could have opened the scoring as early as the 15th minute, but after a video review, the goal by Marcel Mahkovec was disallowed — the referees determined that the puck was kicked in.
The Danes attacked significantly more and outshot their opponents 10-3 during the first period, but for a long time, they could not capitalize on their advantage.
In the second period, the pressure finally paid off. First, Joachim Blichfeldt scored on a power play with a powerful shot into the top corner of the net, and shortly before the break, Patrick Russell doubled the lead after redirecting the puck in front of the net.
In the final period, the Danes definitively settled the question of the winner. In the 59th minute, Russell scored his second goal after a "three-on-one" break, and just seconds before the buzzer, Mikkel Øgør hit the empty net.
One of the heroes of the match was Danish goalkeeper Mads Søgaard, who saved all 13 shots from the Slovenians and recorded a shutout.
This victory was particularly important for Denmark after a disappointing start to the tournament. The team finally earned their first points and maintained mathematical chances of improving their position in the group.
Slovenia, on the other hand, remains among the tournament's outsiders after six matches and continues to fight for survival in the elite division.
In Group B, Canada leads with 14 points. Following them are Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Sweden. Denmark now has three points after five matches — the same as Slovenia, but the Slovenians have already played six games.
The ice hockey World Championship is taking place in Zurich and Fribourg and will conclude on May 31.
