In Saturday’s duel for third place at the Olympic tournament in Milan, they easily lost to Finland 1:6. The Slovaks also finished in fourth place at the Olympics in 2010 in Vancouver, when they lost to the Finns (3:5).
This position is the best for the Slovak team in Milan, but for the first time since the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City 2002, it did not win a single valuable metal at the Games. The “Suomi” won the fifth bronze medal in the history of the Olympic Games, in addition to that they also have two silver medals, and four years ago in Beijing they reached the highest stage for the first time. In Sunday’s final, Canadians and Americans will fight for the gold.
Hlasy after the match (source: RTVS):
Tomáš Tatar, captain and striker of SR: “It’s disappointing. We were so close to a big success, but it went away. We still have a young team and games like this gave it the experience it lacks. You could see the nervousness we had. Today the result is very cruel. That one goal kicked us and after that I believed we could make a drama. We have a young team with players who will pull it in the coming years. They can prepare for the fact that they can still be in a similar situation and use that experience there. No one predicted us fourth place. My emotions are strong, we had something huge within reach. We surprised in such a crowded tournament and I think we will be proud in time. We certainly thank you for your support, you were really amazing and we feel that support. After all, we’re playing hockey for you… So thank you,” he said with tears in his eyes.
Erik Černák, SR defender: “We had a very good game. The Finns had only one goal lead after two periods and that could have been reversed. However, we made unnecessary fouls that put them on the horse. It can’t happen that we let it go like that at 1:2. It was a unique opportunity to win bronze at the tournament with players from the NHL, but it didn’t work out. From the first game, when we beat the Finns (4:1, note), we they knew how to do it. After the 2nd period, we had to score that one goal. It’s hard to score when we’re down. I believed we could do something.”
Samuel Hlavaj, goalkeeper of SR: “The third period didn’t go the way we wanted. We started it weak and then it was difficult. The Finns were playable, because after the 2nd period it was close 1:2. It was even and anyone could have won it for themselves. It’s a shame when we’ve come this far. I felt good at the tournament, but I’d rather trade it for a medal.”
Lukáš Cingel, striker SR: “We stayed in the game for fifty minutes, we gave ourselves a chance to do something about it. But then we got a goal in a weakened position and another one right after that. It’s hard to evaluate, we knew it would be about some details, about some one shot, and that’s exactly what decided it.”
Miloš Kelemen, striker of SR: “The goal made it 3-1, it’s a shame. We had a good start to the third period, we were close to a goal. I had the feeling that the Finns were slowly falling away, but we stupidly gave them a chance. It’s a shame.”
