The Ice Hockey World Championship commenced on Friday, with Germany, last year’s runner-up, securing a dominant 6-4 victory over Slovakia. The match, held in Ostrava, witnessed goals from Dominik Kahun, Jonas Muller, Lukas Kalble, Marc Michaelis, Leonhard Pfoderl, and Tobias Eder for the German team. Notably, Germany’s goalkeeper, Philipp Grubauer, delivered an impressive performance, making 35 saves to secure the win, despite being outshot by Slovakia 39-22, including 18-7 in the final period. Conversely, Marek Hrivik, Martin Fehervary, Libor Hudacek, and Matus Sukel found the net for the Slovak team.
In Group A in Prague, Switzerland emerged victorious with a 5-2 win against Norway, with Nino Niederreiter leading the Swiss team with a power play goal and an assist. The United States is scheduled to commence its tournament against Sweden in Group B, while the host country, Czechia, will face Finland in Group A.
Following the preliminary round, the top four teams in each eight-team group will advance to the quarterfinals. It is important to note that Russia and Belarus have been excluded from the competition for the third consecutive year, due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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