Quarterfinal action kicked off on Tuesday, Jan. 2 as Slovakia and Finland battled it out to advance to the semifinals on Thursday, Jan. 4. Finland defeated Slovakia 4-3 in overtime to advance to the semifinal games. The heartbreaking loss dashes Slovakia’s hopes for a medal while Finland gets to fight for a medal.
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The Finns will wait for their opponent as that is to be determined. Slovakia will focus on the 2025 World Junior Championship and look to use this year’s elimination as motivation and a learning experience. Finland started the tournament slowly, but they didn’t let that affect them in quarterfinal action today. The victory over Sweden was certainly the confidence booster Finland needed. A win over Slovakia is likely to give Finland the confidence they had entering the tournament.
The scoring began at the end of the first period with 0.2 seconds left; Adam Sykora scored to give Slovakia the lead heading into the break. Tommi Mannisto wasted no time tying the game, scoring 2:36 into the second period off a nice give-and-go rush into the offensive zone. The third period was more action-packed than the first two periods. Lenni Hameenaho scored 0:36 into the third period on a nice 2-on-0 opportunity. It would take another seven minutes for Slovakia to find their footing as Dalibor Dvorsky scored after nearly a minute and a half of offensive zone possession. Aleksanteri Kaskimaki scored his first goal of the game to put Finland up 3-2 with 1:34 left in the game. When it seemed like Slovakia was done, Filip Mesar tied it with 43.1 seconds left in the game. However, this high wouldn’t last long as Kaskimaki scored on a breakaway just 24 seconds into overtime, sending Finland to the semifinals.
Goaltending Was the Early Difference-Maker
Early in the game, both teams had great looks, but both goaltenders made the difference. Finland recorded three high-danger scoring chances but were turned away by Slovak netminder Adam Gajan. Slovakia had five high-danger chances and an additional four zone entries that nearly became dangerous chances to score on Finnish netminder Niklas Kokko. Both Gajan and Kokko probably expected to enter the intermission with a scoreless tie, but with 1.7 seconds left on the clock, Mesar won the faceoff and got the puck to Sykora who scored with 0.2 seconds left in the period.
Finland outshot Slovakia 14-10 after the first period. Both teams played 5-on-5 the entire 20 minutes of the period and played a back-and-forth game with even pressure, while Finland had a couple of breakaway opportunities that Gajan easily turned away.
Related: 2024 Guide to the World Junior Championship
With both goaltenders dominating in the net, this gave the teams the necessary confidence in a close hockey game. While the controversy around Sykora’s goal was the talking point at intermission, Finland didn’t let this get to them and Kokko was able to shake this goal off immediately. Heading into the second period, his confidence needed to be as high as it ever has been.
Slovakia’s Puck Patience Was Far Better Than Finland’s
Other than Mannisto scoring for Finland 2:36 into the second period, Slovakia controlled the pace of play the entire second period. Possession in all three zones was dominated by Slovakia and they limited Finland to six shots the entire period. Slovakia had patience with the puck which set them apart from Finland during the second period. With 15 total shots credited to Slovakia, only four of them were high-danger chances. The Slovaks seemed to sacrifice creating dangerous opportunities for more patience and control.
This patience came in handy when Finland attempted to gain control of the neutral zone. Slovakia pushed Finland to play on the outside which minimized the successful offensive zone entries that Finland had. Additionally, Slovakia was able to keep the second period at their own pace of play which allowed them to limit the chances Finland had after Mannisto’s goal.
Slovakia Fell Apart in the Third Period and Lost Their Self Confidence in Overtime
Just 36 seconds into the third period, Hameenaho found an opportunity to fly up the wing and score on a 2-on-0 breakaway. This goal visibly rattled Gajan who shot the puck out of the net in frustration. Dvorsky tied the game up later in the period, but it took a few chances and a minute and a half of offensive zone pressure to do so. This minute and a half was their best play throughout the entire third period as they fell apart in all three zones the rest of the period.
The drama intensified with Kaskimaki scoring with 1:34 left in the game, seemingly crushing the hopes of Slovakia. A timeout was taken and Slovakia pulled their goaltender in order to put up a fight and hopefully extend this game into overtime. The Slovaks did just that, they would not go down easy. Mesar wound up and blasted a shot past Kokko, scoring with 43.1 seconds left on the clock. The last 94 seconds certainly were a highlight in the game.
However, it seemed like you could have missed overtime if you blinked. Kaskimaki flew up the wing on a breakaway to score his second goal 24 seconds into overtime and secure Finland’s spot in the semifinals. Slovakia was stunned and Gajan remained motionless on the ice for an extended period of time. This was not the outcome the Slovaks were hoping for. The hopes of Slovakia winning a medal were dashed by Kaskimaki and Finland. Finland now waits for their semifinal opponent on Thursday, Jan. 4.
