Slovakia had a single mission: With a win, they were in the play-in round.
They did that, beating Puerto Rico 15-11 today to clinch a spot in the knockout stages.
“I didn’t think we played our best game, but I’m happy with the result,” Slovakia head coach Dave Bremner said. “We got the things done that we wanted to do.”
Bremner said that the team worked hard defensively entering the game. He called the Puerto Ricans “fast and agile” with good stick skills, and they wanted to prevent Puerto Rico from sweeping across the top of the arc.
The game started off as Bremner hoped — the small Caribbean island scored only once in the first 10 minutes. Slovakia kept Puerto Rico off balance, forcing numerous turnovers and shot clock violations. The Slovakians led 4-3 after the first 15 minutes.
“I was telling the guys, ‘it’s a lot easier to keep battling and keep making saves when no one gives up,’” Slovakia goalkeeper Lee Jackman said. “No one on this team stopped moving.”
The tight battle continued through the second quarter. Neither side led by multiple goals until Slovakia’s Ivan Cernak scored to make it 6-4 with 9:11 left before halftime. The Slovakians would add one more in the quarter, and went into the break up 7-4.
It remained tight for the entire second half. Whenever Puerto Rico scored, Slovakia had an answer.
Jackman saved 51 shots, limiting a Puerto Rico offense that scored 29 goals in its first two games of the tournament. He stopped several shots while Slovakia was down two men due to two penalties.
“It’s an opportunity to succeed,” Jackman said. “It’s obviously a challenge, and I get a little nervous, but I’m also excited in those moments.”
Alec Simons and Samuel Postma led Slovakia with four goals apiece. Denis Englis also had a hat trick for the European nation.
Bremner said Slovakia still has things they need to work on before the playoffs begin.
“I think in the offensive zone we need more off-ball cutting,” he said. “Defensively, we need to keep improving on what we’ve been doing so far.”
Slovakia will play again on Tuesday in the play-in round against Finland.
