hckošice

First Power Ranking released and I can´t stop laughing I love the guys who made it. just great. so here it is. the 1st edition of Power Ranking 2016 1. Canada: Look! It’s a Canadian team playing in May! 2. Finland: Give blonde kid puck. Watch him shoot. Repeat. 3. Czech Republic: Celebrating Jagr's new contract! 4. Sweden: Nyquist is a horse 5. United States: We’re going to win bigly 6. Russia: Can’t wait to hear our anthem 7. Slovakia: As a kid, you dream of playing for Team Europe 8. Switzerland: No, really, you do dream of playing for Team Europe 9. Denmark: OMG, guys! Team Europe is controlled by Satan! 10. Latvia: Two words: “Leicester City” 11. Belarus: When in doubt, use more Canadians 12. France: Asterix takes the shot, Obelix provides the screen 13. Germany: This round, Ehrhoff will play more than Keith 14. Norway: Good seats still available for Roy Johansen’s farewell tour 15. Kazakhstan: Triple G, yes – Triple Gold Club, no 16. Hungary: A seven-year wait is better than a 70-year wait The Power Rankings are for the enjoyment of IIHF.com readers, and reflect the progress of teams during the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. They are distinct from the official standings and IIHF World Ranking.

Sincerely I don´t know. I didn´t understood why untill now too

TEAM PRESENTATIONS Russia Home Away Little margin for error Russia must meet expectations No country demands World Championship glory like this year’s host. Playing before a Moscow public, the pressure on Oleg Znarok’s team is greater than ever. For an undisputed hockey powerhouse, Russia has endured a long wait to see its team lift a trophy on home ice. You have to go back to the 1986 Soviets and that victory in Moscow. Russia missed out on a medal in St. Petersburg in 2000, took bronze in Moscow in 2007 after losing a semi-final to Finland and famously faltered against the Finns once again in Sochi to miss out on an Olympic medal. This time, home fans hope, the script is about to change and a new golden generation can emerge to join Tikhonov’s team on the list of home-town heroes. There are grounds for optimism – Oleg Znarok took Russia to the last two World Championship finals and, as usual, he’s able to name a roster with plenty of big-game experience as well as some exciting emerging talent. But there are question marks as well, from the uncertainty about the final choice of forwards to the disappointing return of one win in five this season at Moscow’s new World Championship venue. Goal Sergei Bobrovski is the clear pick for the #1 role this time. The Columbus netminder is back in World Championship action for the 3rd time after linking up with the national team last month. Despite some criticism of his performance in a 2-3 home defeat against Finland as Russia concluded a disappointing Euro Hockey Tour season, his vast international experience makes him the clear leader. Rounding off the roster, Znarok has chosen two young KHL goalies, SKA’s Igor Shestyorkin and CSKA’s Ilya Sorokin. The latter, a Metallurg Novokuznetsk graduate like Bobrovski, had a hugely impressive season as he helped his team to the Gagarin Cup final. Aged just 20, he kept Sweden’s Viktor Fasth on the bench for long periods and performed superbly to deal with some high pressure situations. Shestyorkin had less game time in Petersburg, where Finland’s Mikko Koskinen was the key man, but after helping Spartak to MHL success in 2014 he earned a good reputation as a goalie who could be going places. He gets the nod here ahead of Semyon Varlamov. Defence Russia’s traditional weakness might be stronger than usual this time around. The return of Slava Voynov to Europe after lifting two Stanley Cups in LA is a real boost for Znarok’s team, even if few would have chosen the uncomfortable path that led the SKA blue liner back across the Atlantic. Voynov took time to rediscover his game in Russia but finished the season strongly and was impressive in the KHL play-offs despite SKA’s loss in the Conference final. SKA team-mate Anton Belov had another solid season and should help form a more reliable defence than Russia has mustered in the past. Another KHL star, Nikita Zaitsev, cemented his position as Russia’s brightest young defensive prospect with an impressive season and post-season at CSKA. His undoubted talents are starting to show in the big games – witness his three goals in the opening three games of the Gagarin Cup final for evidence of greater composure on the big stage. Toronto fans can look forward to a preview of what their new man can do. There’s further NHL experience in the form of Alexei Yemelin, a reliable blue-liner from Montreal, and Alexei Marchenko of Detroit, an emerging talent who has yet to make an impact on the international stage. And, after naming 28 players on Wednesday, Russia’s management also suggested that four places will be held for possible Trans-Atlantic reinforcements, which could open up a slot for Washington’s Dmitri Orlov depending on the Caps’ Stanley Cup campaign. Forwards Russia loves a stellar offence, but this year’s edition has as many questions as answers. Will scratching Ilya Kovalchuk prove to be an error, despite his almost total absence from SKA’s play-off campaign? Will Alexander Radulov’s groin allow him to feature? Who, if any, of Alexander Ovechkin, Yevgeni Kuznetsov, Yevgeni Malkin or Nikolai Kulyomin might feature following the latest round of NHL play-offs? When the puck drops against the Czechs, Russia is expected to have nominated just 11 forwards from a long list of 16, offering some room for manoeuvre on these issues. Despite the uncertainty, there are positives. Pavel Datsyuk is available from the start to weave his magic. At the age of 35 he’s adamant that this tournament won’t be his swansong, but it will be his last chance to win an international tournament in his native country. His projected partnership with Russia’s second-highest all-time point scorer Sergei Mozyakin has the potential to give defences headaches and finally cement the Metallurg Magnitogorsk captain’s reputation on the international stage. Then there’s the return of the former SKA line of Artemy Panarin, Yevgeni Dadonov and Vadim Shipachyov, so deadly for club and country last season. Whatever the final roster looks like, Russia surely won’t lack for firepower. Coaching Everyone knows what to expect from an Oleg Znarok team: work rate, teamwork, commitment and a spiky, combative attitude on and off the ice. While some might question the absence, or likely absence, of big name stars like Kovalchuk, Varlamov, Malkin or Radulov, Znarok’s career shows that he’s not a man to select on reputation. His KHL success came with un-starry rosters; the triumphant sweep to World Championship gold in Minsk, powered by Ovechkin and Malkin, was a rare stellar exception. But with two World Championship campaigns and two World Championship finals as Russia’s head coach, there’s every reason to expect another strong showing from Znarok in Moscow. Projected results More than one pundit has suggested that Russia is effectively preparing a team for the three knock-out games and it would be a huge shock if the Red Machine failed to motor through the group stage in serene style. True, the Euro Tour results against the Czechs and the Swedes were unimpressive this season, but with so much expectation around the team it’s clear that Russia is ready to raise its game. The greatest potential obstacle could lie in the decision to leave much of the roster open for the opening game against the Czechs – if Vladimir Vuitek’s men can capitalise on a short bench, the whole tournament could feel very different by Saturday morning. Overall, though, a victory on home ice – so long awaited after the slip-ups in Sochi and at the Worlds in 2007 and 2000 – has to be the target; anything less than a medal is unthinkable.

Laying it all on the Laine Finnish teen erupts in opening win over Belarus Finland's Juuso Hietanen #38 celebrates with Patrik Laine #29 and Aleksander Barkov #61 after Team Finland scores their fourth goal of the game during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Championship. Patrik Laine made a statement with two goals and an assist in Finland’s opening 6-2 win over Belarus in their Friday night opener in St. Petersburg. The 18-year-old Laine, this year's Finnish playoff MVP with champion Tappara Tampere, is being touted as a potential rival to the U.S.'s Auston Matthews as the number one overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. Named Finland's Player of the Game, the imposing winger got the Day One edge, as Matthews was held pointless in a 5-1 loss to Canada. "Laine is a different guy," said Finland's Leo Komarov. "He’s a little bit shy and doesn’t know us yet, but when you come up to the (senior) team in Finland, you can be yourself. We know who he is, he’s got a good shot, and he’s going to be a good player." Mikael Granlund was likewise impressive with two goals and an assist, and Mikko Koivu and Antti Pihlstrom added singles for Finland. Aleksander Barkov picked up a pair of assists. Despite a slow start, it was a strong debut for coach Kari Jalonen's team. "It was a great win by us," said Barkov. "We struggled for the first ten minutes but we started to believe in each other. We played a great game and scored a lot of goals." Andrei Stas and Alexei Kalyuzhny replied for Belarus. Finnish goalie Mikko Koskinen, the starter for the KHL's SKA St. Petersbug, looked quite at home, getting the win versus Belarus veteran Vitali Koval. Finland outshot Belarus 30-16. It was a lively atmosphere at the packed Yubileiny Arena, with competing chants of “Belarus!” and “Suomi!” raining down. Finland finished sixth at last year’s Worlds, while Belarus came seventh. The Finns medaled twice at the last five tournaments (gold in 2011, silver in 2014), while Belarus is still looking for its first medal of all time. In the first period, Belarus had the better of the play, outshooting Finland 8-4. They gave no quarter, with pressure all over the ice, although they failed to cash in on two power play chances. Koskinen had to be sharp, foiling Geoff Platt’s in-tight backhand attempt, and blocking Sergei Kostitsyn’s quick release from the left faceoff circle. Laine drew first blood on his first World Championship goal at 1:45 of the second period. He busted through the neutral zone, cut to the middle, slipped a tricky backhand pass to Barkov, and converted the return feed into a gaping net. The Finns kept coming, as Belarus failed to maintain its high tempo of the first stanza. Koivu made it 2-0 at 12:28. The Finnish captain outmuscled defenceman Ilya Shinkevich as he bulled his way to the net along the goal line and shoved the puck in. "The key to the match was the second period when we started to play as a team," said Jalonen. At 17:55, Stas cut the deficit to 2-1 with a great shorthanded rush against the flow. Finnish defenceman Juuso Hietanen turned over the puck at the Belarus blue line, and Stas eluded the backchecking of Laine to tuck a backhander past Koskinen while falling. But that incident just seemed to get the big blonde Finnish kid going. Forty-one seconds later, Laine made amends on a 5-on-3 power play. Koivu set him up to hammer home a one-timer from the top of the left faceoff circle. And then, Laine got it across to Granlund for another man advantage marker, ending Belarus's hopes with a 4-1 lead with four seconds left in the middle frame. "In the second period we came out flat and started taking penalties and that hurt us," said Belarus forward Charles Linglet. "They’ve got some pretty good players on the power play and our pk had a hard time keeping up." In the third period, Pihlstrom put Finland up 5-1 at 2:01 with a high glove-side goal on the rush. Koval had some rough luck on the 6-1 goal, as Anssi Salmela's center point drive rattled his mask and Granlund tucked in the rebound at 7:51. Kalyuzhny, the Belarus captain, gave his fans something to cheer about when he rounded out the scoring at 6-2 at 11:01. Belarus has only beaten Finland once in nine tries at the IIHF World Championship. It was a 2-1 shootout win on May 2, 2009. Oleg Antonenko scored the decisive goal. Finnish goalie Niklas Backstrom did not dress for this game. The two-time Olympian has been designated as the third-stringer in St. Petersburg. Backstrom, 38, was Finland’s starter at the 2008 Worlds in Canada en route to bronze. Next up, Belarus faces the Americans on Saturday. Finland will battle Germany on Sunday. "We know the U.S. is going to be tough but maybe even tougher because it is back-to-back games," said Linglet. "But it will be a good one."

Finland - Belarus 6-2

Hosts stunned in opener Steely Czech defence propels 3-0 win The Czech Republic players celebrate after a third period goal by Michal Birner #16 while Russia's Vadim Shipachyov #87 looks on during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Championship. The sold-out crowd was fully behind the Russians. The players were nervous but came to life. The stage was set, but the Czechs persevered would not break. Everything was there for a victory to kick off the 80th World Championship, but the timely scoring of the Czechs, and their impenetrable play inside their own blue line carried them to a wild and impressive 3-0 win in opening-night action in Moscow. Tomas Kundratek and Roman Cervenka provided the goals to build a 2-0 lead, and Michal Birner added an empty-netter. Dominik Furch was sensational when he had to be in goal for the Czechs to record the shutout, making 25 saves in his debut with the senior team. "I don't want to give away any secrets about our strengths," Kundratek said, "but you saw tonight that we're a fast team, and we play physcially. Our goalie stopped a lot of pucks and made some big saves." "Bobrovski played really well," said Russian coach Oleg Znarok. "The goals were a deflection and a rebound, and the third was into an empty net, so there are no complaints about his game." Kundratek’s goal came just as a power play expired. He fired a shot between the pads of Sergei Bobrovski at 14:48 of the opening period. The Russians took three of the four penalties in the first, which didn’t help the team’s efforts to gain some traction in the offensive end. "The first goal we really important for us," Cervenka acknowledged. "We knew that Russia has a strong team, it's a big favourite in this group, but we've already played a lot of good games against them and we won several times so we were confident that we could do it again." Cervenka connected on a power play 48 seconds into the second. A quick Jakub Jerabek point shot was stopped weakly by Bobrovski and Cervenka was at the top of the crease to poke the puck in. The Russians dominated the second half of the period. Sergei Mozyakin was alone in front with time to spare, but his wicked wrist shot snapped off the crossbar and out of play. Later in the period the Russians controlled the puck in the opposition end for nearly three minutes as the crowd worked itself into a frenzy, but the Czechs played incredible defence despite the fatigue. The best chance on this sequence went to Artemi Panarin, but his quick shot was kicked out by an even quicker right pad of Furch. The Russians went 0-for-5 with the man advantage, no more importantly than in the final period when they had a 5-on-3 for 18 seconds. The Czechs blocked many more shots than Furch such was their expertise at geting a body part or stick in the lane from the Russians to the goal. They were full measure for the victory, but Russia also must take some of the blame in defeat. "We might have won," Cervenka concluded, "but that doesn't make us the favourites. Russia is still the favourite. We've got a good start to the tournament and that's really important for us." The Czechs are back at it tomorrow night, playing Latvia in the late game. The Russians have a day off before playing recently-promoted Kazakhstan on Sunday. "Our play in the first period wasn't too bad," offered Znarok, "but the penalties were something we didn't expect. It's clear our power play was not a big success for us today."

Czech Republic - Russia 3-0

Updated as of May 6th, 2016

Table Tennis Singles +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 Table Tennis Singles +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1

Updated as of May 6th, 2016

Oleg Znaroks not looks happy at all. probably no soup at hotel tonight for the russians but what a match from the czechs. My apologize. I understimates this team too much, they played very very well and what a win for CZE against Russia and in Russia. hardly you will find something sweetest

Final Results A Czech Republic - Russia 3-0 (1-0, 1-0, 1-0) 14:48 Tomáš KUNDRÁTEK 1-0 20:48 Roman ČERVENKA 2-0 58:28 Michal BIRNER 3-0 B Finland - Belarus 6-2 (0-0, 4-1, 2-1) 21:45 Patrik LAINE 1-0 32:28 Mikko KOIVU 2-0 37:55 Andrei STAS 2-1 38:36 Patrik LAINE 3-1 39:56 Mikael GRANLUND 4-1 42:59 Antti PIHLSTROM 5-1 47:51 Mikael GRANLUND 6-1 51:01 Alexei KALYUZHNY 6-2

last match in the bottom http://www.ettu.org/?proxy=redaktion/Competitions/European-Olympic-Singles-Qualification/WOMEN_1st_STAGE_FINAL_RESULTS.pdf

those 3 and half minutes when the Russians turned the czech in their own defence zone was incredible. It´s a pretty long time that I have seen something like this in top division, the poor guys were absolutely out, they couldn´t even skate, the Russians turned all their 4 lines during this "trip" in czech defence zone! It was something unreal..they are a bit unlucky, but I have the feeling that they were too much overmotivated, because they looked too much nervous..Mozyakin or Datsyuk weren´t even able to tame the simpliest pucks.. but in other hand, kudos to the czechs, they play a great match, great tactics from Vujtek, very good power plays and very impressive perf of the goalie ! Honnestly I didn´t expected them to play so well, I´m pleasantly surprised by their play tonight.

Scores after 2nd period A Czech Republic - Russia 2-0 (1-0, 1-0, -) 14:48 Tomáš KUNDRÁTEK 1-0 20:48 Roman ČERVENKA 2-0 B Finland - Belarus 4-1 (0-0, 4-1, -) 21:45 Patrik LAINE 1-0 32:28 Mikko KOIVU 2-0 37:55 Andrei STAS 2-1 38:36 Patrik LAINE 3-1 39:56 Mikael GRANLUND 4-1

great match of the czechs so far

oh my godness! what a tic tac toe goal for Finland

yes, I know there many wrong jerseys here (for SVK too btw), but I can´t find the pics for the right ones, but don´t worry when I´ll find them I´ll change them

Scores after 1st period A Czech Republic - Russia 1-0 (1-0, -, -) 14:48 Tomáš KUNDRÁTEK 1-0 B Finland - Belarus 0-0 (0-0, -, -)

Thanks haha ok, we´ll see, but yeah, untill not confirmed I´m not counting with that, so if it will really happen, I can enjoy my eventual joy much more

confirmed 2 quotas for us in Table Tennis. Historic first ever time we will participate in mens table teannis competition at olympics and soooo incredibly happy for Barbora Balážová, she desrved her olympics so much, that it´s impossible to explain by words how for London she lost the final qualificaton game in 7th set by 1 point I can´t forget her tears in TV shot, and she did it again for Rio, lost by 1 point in 7th set.. but this time she is the last qualified athlete from the ranking. that´s what I call karma and the destiny http://www.ittf.com/World_Events/2016OG/2016_OG_qualified_players.pdf

TEAM PRESENTATIONS Canada Home Away Can Canada do it again? Defending champs bring youthful roster to Russia In 2015, Canada won gold with an Olympic-class roster. The 2016 team has promise, but also resembles the ones that lost in the quarter-finals from 2010 to 2014. Repeating as champions at this tournament has become more challenging than it was in the past. Five different nations have won gold at the last six IIHF World Championships. Russia was the last country to take back-to-back titles (2008, 2009). So a lot of factors must fall into place for the Canadians, who have three returning players from 2015, to claim top spot again. Generating team chemistry quickly with players from rival NHL clubs. Adapting to the big European ice surface. Getting big-time performances out of young players and those who are new to the international game with its tighter officiating. This will be an entertaining team to watch at Yubileiny – and possibly beyond. Goal The 2014 team in Belarus looked to an Edmonton Oilers netminder trying to establish himself as a NHL starter, and this year’s squad will do the same as Cam Talbot makes his IIHF debut. The 28-year-old Talbot, an undrafted former NCAA all-star, has seen more NHL action this season (2.55 GAA, 91.7 save percentage in 56 games) than Ben Scrivens did two years ago. Tall and athletic, Talbot has struggled at times with consistency, but the Oilers have confidence in him, giving him a three-year contract extension in January. Calvin Pickard of the Colorado Avalanche, who played 21 games in his NHL sophomore season as Semyon Varlamov’s backup, is the number two goalie. Pickard’s previous IIHF experience came at the 2010 IIHF U18 World Championship, where Canada finished seventh. Defence Can Chris Tanev emerge as a linchpin for this Canadian defence? Though little-known outside Vancouver, Tanev, 26, was one of the few players to prosper during John Tortorella’s disastrous 2013-14 stint as the head coach of the Canucks. Impressively, he has just 40 PIM in 295 career NHL games. He's the oldest blueliner on this team. His penchant for shot-blocking and making a good first pass will provide a needed counterpoint to the high-risk, high-reward styles of Matt Dumba (Minnesota Wild) and Morgan Rielly (Toronto Maple Leafs). Ben Hutton, another Canuck, must think he’s living the dream. The 23-year-old former University of Maine star wasn’t even expected to crack Willie Desjardins’ roster this season, but went on to post 25 points as a regular. Now, he’s wearing his country’s jersey for the first time ever. Ryan Murray, the #2 overall pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2012, recorded the same number of points as Hutton. He finally got to showcase his two-way style over a full 82-game slate after struggling with injuries in his first two seasons. There is potential here, but youth and international inexperience could prove to be an Achilles heel come the playoff round. Forward Canada may have the best group of forwards in the tournament – and also the most irritating. Let’s start with the best. All eyes will be on Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) in his senior IIHF debut. Named a Calder Trophy finalist with 48 points in an injury-shortened 45-game rookie season, the 19-year-old has the potential to follow in the footsteps of previous Canadian hockey superstars Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby by winning the scoring title at his first Worlds. (Gretzky had 16 points in 1982 in Finland, while Crosby totalled 16 points in 2006 in Latvia.) In a year with fewer exceptional NHL newcomers, the skilled and determined Max Domi (Arizona Coyotes) would also be up for the Calder Trophy after notching 18 goals and 52 points in the desert. When it comes to experience, captain Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks) has it in spades as a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Stanley Cup champion. Coming off his sixth season with 30 or more goals, Perry will be antsy after failing to score in the playoffs against the Nashville Predators. He’s also noted for his ability to get under the skin of other players, a trait he shares with Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins) and Brendan Gallagher (Montreal Canadiens). Marchand scored a career-high 37 goals this season, and is representing Canada for the first time since winning consecutive World Junior golds in 2007 and 2008. Gallagher, whose second effort is never questioned, picked up 40 points in just 53 games, and will be eager for redemption after the Habs’ nightmarish season. All these forwards, along with first-time 30-goal man Boone Jenner (Columbus Blue Jackets), can be difference-makers as long as they stick to playing between the whistles. The three returning forwards from last year are 2015 all-star Taylor Hall (Edmonton Oilers), 2014 Olympic gold medalist Matt Duchene (Colorado Avalanche), and Ryan O’Reilly (Buffalo Sabres). They’re all coming off seasons of about 60 points, and their presence will help to ensure that Canada fills the net at a rapid rate. Nonetheless, this team will be hard-pressed to come close to last year’s Canadian-record output of 66 goals. Coaching Bill Peters flies under the radar as the coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, but the second-year NHL bench boss has learned his craft from the best in the business. He collaborated with Mike Babcock as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings, and the 51-year-old’s association with Babcock goes all the way back to the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs at the turn of the new millennium. Expect Peters to preach the traditional uptempo Canadian style with aggressive forechecking. He’ll be assisted by two NHL coaches who were relieved of their duties this season, Dave Cameron (ex-Ottawa Senators) and Mike Yeo (ex-Minnesota Wild), plus Hockey Canada’s Misha Donskov. Projected Results Trying to predict where Canada will finish this year is as hard as tracking a Shea Weber slap shot. The Canadians could power their way to the final, but could also very well miss the mark and get knocked out in the quarter-finals. Despite the world-class selection of forwards, the goaltending and defence both present significant question marks. Canada should contend for first place in Group B, and then we’ll see what happens.

Sweden scrapes win Elvis stars as Latvia forces OT Latvia's Elvis Merzlikins #30 reaches out with his glove in attempt to make the save during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Championship. An impressive performance from rookie goalie Elvis Merzlikins helps Latvia test the Swedes in game one before Gustav Nyquist wins it in the 64th minute. A youthful Latvian line-up, ably backstopped by rookie goalie Elvis Merzlikins, sprang a surprise in the opening game of the 2016 IIHF World Championship against Sweden. Despite giving up an early goal against one of the pre-tournament favourites, the Baltic nation showed great resilience – and no little innovation on offence – to stay in the game and snatch a dramatic game-tying goal through Kristaps Sotnieks in the 53rd minute. The Dinamo Riga defenceman had already seen a couple of chances go begging when he struck on the power play, collecting Mikelis Redlihs’ astute pass into the deep slot and taking advantage of a clear sight of Jacob Markstrom’s net to find the top corner and delight the maroon clad contingent in the Moscow Ice Palace. It almost got better for the underdog: with five to play and the game in a four-on-four format, Gints Meija stole the puck on his own blue and surged forward, only to be denied a game-winning goal by Markstrom. But victory finally went to the Tre Kronor in the last minute of overtime when Gustav Nyquist got on the end of a two-man breakaway to convert Alexander Wennberg's pass and finally ended Merlikis' resistance after the goalie made 40 saves in regulation to help his team to a valuable point. Despite the defeat, the outcome was more encouraging for Latvia, a team in transition that was expected to be battling against relegation, rather than a Swedish roster expected to contend for medals. Although Merzlikins was the talk of the arena after the game, his thoughts were on a potential victory that got away in overtime. "It hurts to lose that one," he said in the mixed zone. "We were poor in the build up to the [winning] goal. The Swedes showed that they have a good team and it wasn't easy for us, but I still think we deserved to win." Initially it all seemed very different. Sweden struck early with Jimmie Ericsson opening the scoring in the third minute. Mikael Backlund broke into Latvia’s zone and trod on the puck, only to see the disc squirt on to Ericsson’s stick. A well-placed wrister claimed the first marker of the 2016 IIHF World Championship. But if the Swedes anticipated a straightforward path to an opening win against one of Group A’s outsiders, they were quickly disabused of that notion. Latvia’s youthful roster played with great spirit and carved out a few clear chances to equalize in the opening stanza. Oskars Cibulskis flashed in a shot from the point that almost snuck through Markstrom’s defences before captain Kaspars Daugavins deked his way into the danger zone but lacked the guile to really test the Tre Kronor goalie. Then defenceman Sotnieks saw the ice open up in front of him, only for his shot to squirt well wide under the overly-aggressive attentions of Nyquist. The final big chance of the first frame came in the last minute of the period when Miks Indrasis fired the puck into the slot where Gunars Skvorcovs attempted a delicate backhand from right in front of the net. Once again, Markstrom was up to the task. “Latvia’s a good team,” the shotstopper said. “They play physical, they work hard and they’ve got some good players – a couple from the NHL, a lot from the KHL. You can’t take any team lightly in this competition. “Gustav got a big goal for us [in overtime]. The first game is always tough but we stepped it up in overtime and we’re happy to get that first win. Of course you’d like to score a lot of goals but we’ll take these win and then try to clean up a lot of stuff after that.” If Latvia created the openings in the first period, Sweden was determined not to allow a repeat in the middle session. For long periods the game got bogged down in centre ice. The men in yellow largely controlled the game but, even with the benefit of two power plays, failed to carve out clear opportunities for a killer second goal. Gradually the Latvians, encouraged by the characteristically vocal support of their fans, began to offer more. Another Daugavins effort drew a good pad save from Markstrom. Soon after, a slaloming rush almost took Gints Meija coast to coast before, once again, the goalie put up an impregnable barrier. Daugavins himself was fairly satisfied with his team's start. "Our game plan was to be patient and I think we did that well," he said. "It sucks to lose in overtime but we earned a point today and that's important for us." At the start of the third Sweden upped its offence. Nyquist twice drew good saves from Merzlikins, a 22-year-old making his World Championship debut with an assured display. The HC Lugano youngster, a silver medallist in Switzerland's National League this season, remained solid throughout to earn the headlines despite his team's narrow loss. Par Marts’ team could not find the decisive second goal against the HC Lugano netminder and Merzlikins was rewarded for his 40 saves in regulation as Latvia claimed a point for taking us into overtime.

Sweden - Latvia 2-1 (OT)