The whistle has been blown and the puck is on the play. The first game of the 2025 World Juniors Championship happened at 11 a.m. CST Thursday, on Canadian soil.
Related: A Quick Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
It was a thrilling match in which Sweden gathered the win, 5-2.
The Swedish team was, arguably, the favourite to win the game. The team arrived at this year’s tournament from a campaign that got them a silver medal last year. They lost the championship game, 10-2, to the United States.
The game started as a very physical and fast-paced one. Sweden did get the upper hand at first, striking a greater quantity of shots at Slovakia’s WJC veteran goalie. However, it was not enough to get their first goal.
Past the first 10 minutes of the game, Slovakia was called for a penalty allowing Sweden’s powerful power-play to make a show. Even with great chances, shots were blocked by Samuel Urban and the game stayed tied nil-nil. The Slovakian goaltender, even being smaller than the average goaltender, standing at 6-foot-1, did a great job in those starting minutes of play.
While unexpected, Slovakia was the first team to score. Dalibor Dvorsky found the back of the net while positioned in the top right circle. A perfect shot that was unstoppable by Sweden’s goaltender. This was only the team’s second shot on goal of the game.
This was a four-on-four goal as a penalty was called leading Slovakia right to the power play after the play just began. With the goal, a shift of momentum was clear. Slovakia, who was down by four shots (5-1), got many more opportunities.
Less than two minutes from the end of the first period, a crazy play happened. With good sticking from Sweden, many thought the equalizer would come from there. However, after a replay of the play, even though it was really close, the Slovakian defender did not allow the puck to pass completely through the line.
Under four minutes from the start of the second period, Sweden found its confidence again. They dominated from the initial whistle and no longer would find the equalizer. On a wrist shot, Rasmus Bergqvist would start another change of momentum to the game.
Not long after, captain Alex Sandin Pellikka would get his second point out of the four he would gather in the match. This time, instead of an assist, the player found the back of the net himself. He fired a one-timer, beating Slovakia’s goalkeeper.
The third period kept the physicality up. Attesting to this, a scrum happened early in the minutes after a whistle to stop a play.
Four minutes into the third, Sweden’s captain continued his day of greatness. Sandin Pellikka had slid through the circle and found the upper right part of the net, making it 3-1, the game-winning goal. Slovakia’s defender had left the agile player alone, and no different result could’ve come from that.
Nearing the final whistle, the hats would fall to the ice in Ottawa. Sandin Pellikka gathered a hat trick, with his third goal of the night. The Detroit Red Wings draftee was certainly the most valuable player during this match if there were one.
Right after, Linus Eriksson added his contribution to the win, making it 5-1.
In the final minutes, a Swedish player was called for interference, getting Slovakia on the power play. With that, they scored their second power-play goal of the match. Daniel Jencko slid the puck under the pads and between the legs of Sweden’s netminder after getting a rebound in front of the goal.
The game would finish with a final score of 5-2. With Sweden’s win, they now lead the Group B standings.
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