Czech ice hockey goalkeeper Aleš Stezka, April 6, 2022.
Malmö (Sweden) – The last match of the Czech hockey players at the Swedish Games in Malmö against Switzerland will be caught by Aleš Stezka. Defender Jakub Jeřábek and forwards Dominik Lakatoš and Ondřej Beránek will not play. The match will start at 12:00 and coach Kari Jalonen's men will try to atone for Saturday's 1:6 debacle with the Finns.
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Twenty-six-year-old Stezka had only one national team start before the tournament in the north of Europe. In Malmö, he first picked up a 2:1 victory in extra time against Sweden on Thursday, then on Saturday he came on as a substitute at the end of the 24th minute when he replaced Petar Kváča when the Finns were 4:0 down. Until the end of the second period, Stezka conceded twice, and scored five hits.
Defender Ondřej Vála and forwards Kryštof Hrabík and Lukáš Jašek will be back in the lineup. Jan Bambula will be ready for the 13th forward position. The jubilee 150th start in the jersey of the national team awaits captain Jan Kovář.
“We have one more game ahead of us against Switzerland, in which we will have a chance to show character,” said coach Jalonen, believing that his charges will give with a good performance to forget the unsuccessful performance against Finland.
“We have to go for it and win against the Swiss,” added Kovář. The Czechs would also like to improve their shooting. In neither of the two games so far in the tournament, they did not get over the 20 shot mark. “I think there weren't many of them in the first match with the Swedes, and not with the Finns either. It's something we should work on and try to shoot more,” added Kovář.
In the mutual matches in season, the Swiss first won 3:2 at the Karjala tournament in mid-November thanks to a goal in extra time, the Czechs responded with a 2:1 victory at the Swiss Games a month later.
The Swedes will then face the Finns for the tournament championship they lose a point in the table. The match will start at 16:00. In order for the Czech team to finish second, it needs help from the Finns in addition to its own success. If the Czechs get at least two points more than the Tre kronor team, they will take second place.
Predicted line-up of the Czech Republic: Stezka – Zámorský, Jordán, Mozík, Kempný, Pýcha, Klok, L .
