Host Nation, Slovakia, hands a 4-1 defeat to Denmark - IIHF World Championships Updates
Slovakia is out of the quarterfinal contention but the host nation was able to come up with a decent performance against Denmark that saw them winning, 4-1, this Monday, May 9th.
Slovakia will finish in the ninth or tenth spot in the standings which will be decided after the result of the game between the United States and Switzerland. The team will be satisfied since last time, under the guidance of Glen Hanlon, they could only manage the 12th spot.
Slovakia was under immense pressure as they had previously won only one game in the tournament, a 3-1 win against Slovenia in the opening game of the tournament. The home team was highly appreciated after the game and the crowd applauded them constantly.
"It was tough to get ready", said Slovakia's Michal Handzus. "You’re not playing for a medal. You’re done with the tournament. But our fans were great. They’re the best fans in the world, and they showed it today".
The Slovaks came up with a strong performance evident from the game where they outshot their opponents, 43-18, which shows the hard work they put in their offence and defence.
Denmark finished in the 11th spot after they had been eighth last year. However, finishing in 11th means a long way out of securing a quarterfinal position.
Denmark had their fair share of chances during the game and they were even up by two players in a few minutes of play.
However, the team was unable to use this to their advantage and the Danes were unable to score a goal. Both teams are out of the IIHF Championships and 2012 Championships, which will be held in Sweden and Finland, will give them a chance of improving their game.
The Slovaks’ Jozef Stumpel, Marian Hossa, Richard Zednik and Miroslav Satan were all on the score-sheet. Pavol Demitra, captain of the Slovaks, also announced that this was his final game at the international stage.
Demitra is one of the most experienced men in the game today who has played more than 800 National Hockey League games, for five different teams.
Tags: