In the quarter-finals against Germany, they again gave an excellent collective performance supported by good discipline. Coach Vladimír Országh believes that his players can win at least one of the two games that await them in Milan. The Slovaks beat Germany 6:2, while they did not put the opponent under any pressure and were able to cover its biggest stars.
“It’s a fantastic feeling and I couldn’t be more proud of these guys. They stand by each other from the first day of training, fight for each other and live their dream. We live it together. We are in select company and I am glad that we managed to follow up on the last Olympic Games and that we can defend the bronze medals,” said Országh.
“There weren’t many optimists in Slovakia and we’ve come this far. But of course we’re going with humility. We are uniting Slovakia again, we have hockey fever again and we are happy that we are doing well. But it’s not over yet. We have a chance to play for medals, we have at least two matches ahead of us and when we are already this far, we would definitely like to return home with some metal,” he told the fans.
The Slovaks’ semi-final opponent will not be known until the evening, but they still want to surprise another favorite at the tournament. “We are set up in such a way that we go into every game knowing that we can beat someone. I have to say that the first game against the Finns helped us a lot. There we found out that we can play against teams that are completely made up of NHL players. We need every single player, because with us it’s not just about Slafkovski, Fehérváry or Černák and other NHL players, it’s always about 25 players. Everyone is important to us,” added Országh.
The Germans played four matches in five days, and their condition showed especially in the third period. At 5:1, they scored a second goal, but that didn’t pour the elixir into their veins, the Slovaks were constantly strong. “We had a good start, even though we didn’t score and we didn’t create pressure. We knew the Germans were playing their fourth game in five days. We wanted to exhaust them with small fights, we didn’t want to give them time and space, we quickly approached them. The second thing was that we scored goals at the right time. We knew that if we were patient and stuck to the plan, some chances would come. Then they had to open it in unfavorable conditions and we scored goals at the right time. We watched it, even though the Germans were unpleasant until the end,” said the SR coach.
His charges also covered the opponent’s biggest star, Leon Draisaitl, well. The latter showed why he is one of the best players in the world, but the high amount of time on the ice in the past games also showed on him.
“They had their strength divided into two formations. It wasn’t just about Draisaitl, but Stützle and Peterk played in the second formation. We had two formations that were dedicated to them and went on the ice with them. But it wasn’t just about those two formations. Of course we have individuals, we have Slafkovski, he pulls us in games, we have players from the NHL who are leaders on and off the ice. But we talked about the fact that everyone should be a leader and it doesn’t matter if you have a C or an A on your chest. It doesn’t matter to us whether you play or not, all players are important to us,” he emphasized.
Five scorers took care of the Slovaks’ goals. Regenda twice and Dvorský once, Tatar, Okuliar and Kelemen. So also players from the second and third formations. “Those who don’t understand hockey, or just look at it superficially, should know that it’s not just about goals and points. The guys worked for the team, whether it was in the underdogs or when playing against the opponent’s top five. I’m glad that they were rewarded with some goals today. But we know why we took them, why every single player is here. Everyone has their role and so far they are fulfilling it to the fullest. points,” stated the coach.
He returned to the mix zone in front of the press after visiting the booth earlier and thanking the players. He described the mood in it: “Of course there is euphoria, the boys are happy, they have made it into the elite company and into the four best teams in the world. I wish them the best and I am proud of them.”
However, behind the success of Országh is not only the coaching kumšt, but also the ritual, which he revealed: “I still have the same shirt. Since we lost the last game, it was kind of a loss through a smile, I kept it because we went on. But I changed the shirt under it. It worked. So I have something to wear again for the next game.”
