IIHF World Championship Division I in Katowice, and will play among the elite again next year.
The hero of the match was Slovenian goalkeeper
Austria scored first, with Konstantin Komarek seizing the opportunity given by a power play 6 minutes into the game, during Anže Kuralt’s (SLO) bench time. The Slovenians tied in 11th minute, when Robert Sabolič completed a well-coordinated counter-attack by firing an accurate shot passed forward by Rok Tičar and Žiga Jeglič. The key moments took place after Alexander Pallestranga’s major, 5-minute-long penalty for rough play. At first, the Slovenians couldn’t find the right rhythm of power play, but 12 seconds before its end Ken Ograjenšek pushed the puck into the nearby net, finishing Klemen Pretnar’s shot. Austria pressed on in the third period, but goalkeeper Krošelj turned out to be an impermeable fortress against attacks from Slovenia’s northern neighbours.Gašper Krošelj, who blocked some very dangerous shots, especially in the last period. The ratio of shots was 27:23 in favour of the Austrian team, which remains in Division I. The stakes at the game in Spodek Arena were high, since the winner is promoted to the highest ranking tier of world hockey while the loser stays in the second-best division.
“The decisive element was the team. I can’t single out any players, the team of Slovenia won,” emphasized Slovenian head coach Nik Zupančič, who is looking forward to Slovenia’s return among the world’s 16 best ice hockey national team. Slovenia has earned the spot at the world championship, which will take place in Paris and Cologne next year. Already this year, however, the Lynx will take part in another top competition –qualifications for the Olympic Games tournament in September.
M. L.; A. G.; translated by K. Z.
