Axel Sandin Pellikka picked up a hat trick to lead Team Sweden to a 5-2 victory over Slovakia in the 2025 World Junior Championship opening game.
Sweden is returning nine players from the team that lost 6-2 to the United States in the gold-medal game at the 2024 WJC on home ice in Gothenburg.
Related: Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
Slovakia opened the scoring in the first period on a goal from Dalivor Dvorsky, who was leading Springfield of the American Hockey League (St. Louis Blues affiliate) with 11 goals in 27 games when he left for the tournament.
WHAT A SNIPE!
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 26, 2024
Axel Sandin Pellikka makes it 3-1 for Sweden with his second of the game. #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/K0PtKR3Szq
Sweden answered back with two goals in the second period from Rasmus Bergqvist and Sandin Pellikka, who also assisted on the Bergqvist goal. Sandin Pellikka is looking to repeat his performance from the 2024 tournament, in which he scored two goals and six assists in seven games for Sweden and has already surpassed his goal total from last year’s tournament with his hat trick this afternoon.
Sandin Pellikka scored again midway in the third period to put Sweden up by two and picked up the hat trick with his third goal with six minutes remaining in the game. Linus Eriksson scored a minute later to give Sweden a 5-1 lead.
Slovakia picked up a power-play goal from Daniel Jencko late in the third period to make the final score 5-2.
Slovakia will return to the ice tomorrow (Dec. 27) when they take on Switzerland at 1 p.m. EST. Sweden’s next game will also be tomorrow when they face Kazakhstan at 3:30 p.m. EST.
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