Czechia and Norway faced off on the second day of the 2024 World Junior Championship. The final score might not reflect how the game unfolded, but Czechia and Norway battled it out in a close game at one point. Norway trailed Czechia 2-1 in the second period before Czechia’s top players began scoring at a pace that Norway couldn’t keep up with. Jiri Kulich and Eduard Sale each recorded a hat trick in Czechia’s dominant showing. Norway goaltender Markus Rohnebaek Stensrud was pelted the entire time, but he managed to keep things close until the halfway point of the game.
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Norway’s lone scorer, Johannes Lokkeberg, scored on a great tic-tac-toe play, which was the best bit of offence that the team produced all game. They kept getting caught passing away from each other, which gave their opponents multiple high-danger scoring chances. While the first half of the game was closer, the game belonged to Czechia from the 12-minute mark in the second period onward. This was the definitive turning point that led to Norway’s luck running out.
Norway’s Luck Ran Out
Norway played their opening game on Tuesday, Dec. 26, against Team USA, a game which they only faced four goals against. It was a great defensive effort on their part, but the back-to-back against two strong teams seemed to take a toll on them. Czechia unloaded on Norway for an eight-goal blowout, and any good feeling or confidence they had heading into this game could be considered gone.
Everything that they had going in their favour when they played Team USA was not present against the Czechs. The underdogs would be at bay as Czechia began to dominate. Two goals in less than a minute and a third at the end of the second period by Czechia drove down the fight that Norway had. They allowed themselves to get beat, and they had seemingly given up.
After the first period, Norway led the game in shots with 13 to their opponents 11. But they would take only eight shots over the next two periods, as Czechia severely limited the Norwegians’ puck possession. Czech forwards Kulich and Sale were at the front of this blowout; both players were being a nightmare for their opponent as the score kept going up.
Kulich & Sale Both Recorded Hat Tricks in Dominant 8-1 Win Over Norway
Kulich was the centrepiece in this dominant game by the Czechs. In the first period, he had six shot attempts and scored twice. He kicked off the scoring party at 10:30 in the first period off a nice wrist shot. He wasn’t done, either. He later added a third goal and an assist; his four-point outing was a team-high for the Czech. In each scoring case, he found himself with perfectly placed shots, something that fans will become accustomed to while they watch him play. His second goal came off the power play from a beautiful feed from Matyas Melovsky. He would later score the eighth and final goal of the game to seal Czechia’s victory.
Related: 2024 Guide to the World Junior Championship
While he was quiet during the game against Slovakia, the Czech’s top scorer made his presence known. Kulich’s hat trick and assist only solidified the dominance he’s had in the tournament and can potentially help Czechia find greater in his third World Juniors. The captain of the team will certainly play a massive role as they look to win more games and potentially win a medal this year.
Sale is known for his hit-or-miss play, but he certainly wasn’t that against Norway. He was a strong piece in the victory over Norway. While he had a rough game against Slovakia, he more than made up for it against the Norwegians. He didn’t find any luck until 12:52 in the second period when he chased down a puck in the offensive zone and then picked off the puck at the top of the crease for his first of the game. His second came with 1:14 left in the period off of a mad scramble in the front of the net. While he was unable to complete the natural hat trick, he found his third on the power play off a nice shot that beat Stensrud just above the blocker.
Czechia Gave Hrabal The Game To Regain Confidence
Michael Hrabal played in the Czech’s opening game versus Slovakia, where he let six goals. It wasn’t a great performance by any means. As each goal went in, Czechia’s goaltender looked visibly frustrated. His performance against Norway was significantly different from the previous game. Lokkeberg’s goal came off a screen that fooled the Czech goalie, and in this instance, there wasn’t much he could do about it.
When Norway was pressing him with shots, he never failed to put himself in front of the puck and take away any open spots on the net. This game had to be good for his confidence, especially since he’s had his share of rough performances internationally in recent years. With his confidence back up after stopping 20 of 21 shots, Czechia will have a goaltender they can count on when they play tougher teams.
In Czechia’s strong 8-1 win over Norway, they improved to a win-loss record of 1-1 while Norway sits at 0-2. Czechia plays the United States, while Norway plays Slovakia; both games are on Friday, Dec. 29.
