Slovakia's journey at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics has been nothing short of inspiring for men's hockey fans. After years of struggling on the international stage, Slovakia has re-emerged as a competitive force, thanks to the infusion of young talent like Juraj Slafkovsky, Simon Nemec, and Dalibor Dvorsky. Their silver medal win at the 2022 Olympics signaled a return to form, and their performance in 2026 has proven that was no fluke, as they reached the semi-finals against the United States.
However, the semi-final clash didn't go Slovakia's way. Team USA came out strong, securing a decisive 6-2 victory and advancing to the gold medal game. Slovakia will now compete for the bronze medal on Saturday.
The game started with a bang for the Americans. Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings opened the scoring less than five minutes into the game, assisted by Zach Werenski and Tage Thompson. The USA then capitalized on a power play late in the first period, with Tage Thompson scoring off feeds from Jack Eichel and Quinn Hughes.
The second period saw Team USA extend their lead. Jack Hughes made it 3-0 midway through the period, and just 19 seconds later, Eichel's goal pushed the score to 4-0, leading Slovakia to replace goaltender Samuel Hlavaj with Stanislav Skorvanek. Jack Hughes struck again before the period ended, with Matthew Boldy assisting on the fifth goal.
In the third period, Slovakia showed some fight, with goals from Slafkovsky and Pavol Regenda. But a breakaway goal by Brady Tkachuk sealed the deal for the United States. Notably, Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews had a quiet game, not registering a point for the first time in the tournament, but he'll gladly trade that for a shot at gold.
The stage is set for a classic showdown, as Matthews and Team USA will face off against Canada for the gold medal on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, Slovakia will take on Finland for the bronze on Saturday.
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