Last year’s hosts and silver medallists had to fight tooth and nail for the win, their 7th in a row against the Slovaks, who last beat Sweden in U20 play nearly a decade ago. The victors doubled the shots against Slovakia, 34-17.
“We started defending more after we scored,” suggested Dalibor Dvorsky, who got the opening goal. “We have to keep pushing, shooting at the net, and not back off. We all know Sweden is a team with a lot of skill, but, honestly, so are we. We have to improve after this game.”
“We have a lot of good defencemen who like to play with the puck, so it’s fun that we got some goals from there,” said Sandin Pellikka. “We played a good game overall, so we’re happy. We played with patience. We kept our cool. We had a lot of chances and knew pucks were going to go in soon enough, and they did.”
Despite being outplayed for much of the opening period, Slovakia scored the only goal, that during a four-on-four. Captain Dvorsky’s shot through a screen beat goalie Melker Thelin to the far side at 11:53. It was Dvorsky’s sixth career goal at the World Juniors in 17 games spread out over five tournaments (starting with the 21/22 event which was cancelled because of a covid-19 outbreak).
Slovakia had a great chance to double their lead early in the second, but after controlling a bouncing puck in front, Peter Cisar couldn’t beat Thelin. A few minutes later, Sweden tied the game thanks to a nice play by Sandin Pellikka who narrowly kept the puck onside at the Slovakia blue line. He fed it to Rasmus Bergqvist, and he snapped a quick shot under the glove of Samuel Urban.
The Swedes took the lead at 17:43 on a power play. Sandin Pellikka wired a one-timer past the lunging Urban to give his team a 2-1 lead.
Sandin Pellikka took a penalty early in the third that his teammates killed off, and moments later he added to Sweden’s tally, ripping a shot over the shoulder of Urban, who was going down before the puck left Sadin Pellikka’s stick.
The captain completed his hat trick later in the period with another hard shot, high, and Linus Eriksson padded the score witha fifth goal at 15:29 off the rush. Daniel Jencko finished the scoring with a late power-play goal to make it a 5-2 game at 18:35.
“We never give up,” Dvorsky added. “We have a great group of guys. We’re all friends. We keep battling. We have a lot of skill and hard-working guys. We’re a good team, so we have to learn from our mistakes and move on.”
Sandin Pellikka leads Sweden to win
In a thrilling match against their rivals, Sandin Pellikka showed his leadership skills and led the Swedish team to a stunning victory. With his exceptional performance on the field, Pellikka inspired his teammates to play their best and secure the win.
Pellikka’s strategic plays and determination were evident throughout the game, as he made crucial passes, scored important goals, and defended with precision. His presence on the field motivated the team to push harder and outplay their opponents.
Thanks to Pellikka’s exceptional leadership, Sweden emerged victorious and celebrated a well-deserved win. Fans cheered for Pellikka and his teammates, recognizing their hard work and dedication to the game.
Sandin Pellikka’s performance was truly remarkable, and his leadership was instrumental in leading Sweden to victory. The team’s success is a testament to Pellikka’s skills and his ability to inspire and motivate his teammates. Congratulations to Sandin Pellikka and the Swedish team on their impressive win! #SandinPellikka #TeamSweden #VictoryCelebration
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Sandin Pellikka, Sweden, win, soccer, victory, international match, athlete, sports, championship, tournament, Sweden national team, Sandin Pellikka performance, goal, assist, game-winning goal, standout player.
#Sandin #Pellikka #leads #Sweden #win
