Slovakia beat Austria 2-1 for Olympic ice-hockey qualifying tournament

BRATISLAVA: AUGUST 27 – Slovakia men’s ice hockey team beat Austria 2-1 on Thursday to enter a four-team tournament in Bratislava offering a spot at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Slovaks, led by veteran Canadian coach Craig Ramsay, were off to a solid start with HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk forward Libor Hudacek scoring an early goal only 2 minutes into the game.

After a successful penalty kill, Marko Dano could have stretched the lead to two but only hit the post on his scoring opportunity. Slovakia’s two-man advantage in the first period also remained unconverted.

Ramsay’s squad scored the second goal of the game 9 minutes into the second period when Lausanne HC defenseman Martin Gernat launched a hard slap-shot from near the boards which found its way behind David Kickert’s back who finished the night with 30 successful saves.

Slovakia’s fragile two-goal lead was cut in half in the final period when Black Wings Linz forward Brian Lebler capitalized on a rebound opportunity.

-Xinhua