Ball Hockey World Championship - Pardubice » Final day recap: Czech women win first title, Slovak men with third straight

The final day of the 2017 Ball Hockey World Championships was capped off by a dramatic back-and-forth men’s gold medal game in which Slovakia completed its "golden hat-trick", with Canada taking silver and the Czechs winning bronze. The women’s final was just as dramatic, with the Czechs beating the USA in overtime, while Canada claimed third place.

Daily recap

Men

9-10: Finland – Italy 6:3 (3:1, 1:1, 2:1)

Goals and assists: 6. Pukema (Väänänen, Pohjola), 10. Kangas (Sirkkala, Leppäniemi), 13. Sirkkala (Uusimäki, Kangas), 20. J. Viitanen (Juvani, S. Pietsalo), 34. Pietsalo (Pohjola), 45. Leppäniemi (Kangas, Sirkkala) – 6. Di Giacomo (Bowers, Cerone), 26. Peragine (Velenosi, Fiacconi), 37. Bowers.

After a great first period, the Finns win against the Italians 6-3 to take ninth place in the tournament. Finland finished one place worse than two years ago in Zug, where they placed eighth. Italy, on the other hand, finish at the exact same spot they finished last year.

7-8: Switzerland – India 5:0 (forfeit)

Due to travel arrangements, Team India had to leave Pardubice too early to play this game. Therefore, Switzerland is awarded the victory by forfeit and finishes seventh, while India finishes eighth.

5-6: USA – Portugal 8:2 (0:0, 3:1, 5:1)

Goals and assists: 17. Merchant (Ruiz), 17. Senecal (Merchant, Bayne), 27. Ruiz, 35. Hickey (Ruiz, Housser), 37. Sullivan (Hildreth), 37. Sullivan (Daugherty, Bayne), 43. Senecal (Carter), 44. Bayne (Gregory) – 19. David (MacBeth), 39. C. Creador (Duarte, MacBeth).

After the first period the game remained scoreless. Cody Black had the biggest opportunity for the USA, but Portugal goaltender Daniel Medeiros made a great save. At the start of the second period, the USA scored two goals in very quick succession. Portugal got one back, but the Americans had the last word in the middle period as Jonathan Ruiz scored a shorthanded goal to make it 3-1. In the final period, the Americans ran away with the game by outscoring Portugal 5-1. As a result, Team USA takes fifth place and Portugal sixth.

3-4: Czech Republic – Greece 4:3 (2:1, 2:1, 0:1)

Goals and assists: 2. Soukup (Spacek, Stepanik), 9. Kudela (Wrobel), 22. Rejthar (Bily, Kubes), 27. Wrobel (Fejfar, Krucek) – 4. P.Arkalis (Kakivelos), 24. Pitsikoulis (Vagenas, Kuzmarski), 31. Kuzmarski (Pitsikoulis, Hinios).

In their home tournament, Team Czech Republic shook off the disappointment of losing last night’s semi-final and claimed the bronze medal with a 4-3 win over Greece. Lukas Soukup scored just two minutes in to get the fans cheering early, and the Czechs never trailed the rest of the way, although the Greeks stayed right in the game until the end. Greece finishes fourth for the second straight championship.

F: Slovakia – Canada 5:4 (3:2, 1:2, 2:0 )

Goals and assists: 1. Martinusik (Rampacek, Titka), 1. Hrivnak (Madera), 8. Oravec (Bujdak, Hrivnak), 29. Rampacek (Titka, Kollar), 44. Svitana (Bujdak, Oravec), 45. Hrivnak (Oravec, Svitana) – 8. Laurencelle (Martel, B. Yetman), 9. Martel (Escott, Du. Kelly), 27. Martel (Azevedo, Laurencelle), 28. Power (O‘Keefe, Dy. Kelly).

Patrik Svitana’s power-play goal with 1:55 left in regulation time broke a 4-4 tie, as the Slovaks won a gold-medal game in which they blew a three-goal lead, then had to come from behind themselves. Michal Hrivnak of Slovakia and Danick Martel of Canada each had two goals and one assist in the game, which Slovakia won 6-4 to “three-peat” as Men’s Ball Hockey World Champions.

Women

5-6: Italy – Great Britain 2:0 (1:0, 0:0, 1:0)

Goals and assists: 10. Correiro (Mirarchi), 33. Mormile (Piccitto).

The fifth-place series started with a three-goal win by Italy, and Team Great Britain wasn’t able to come back today. The Italians took the lead in the first period thanks to Nicole Correiro, and the British women were not able to respond. With two straight shutouts, Italy finishes fifth and Great Britain finishes sixth.

3-4: Canada – Slovakia 5:0 (1:0, 2:0, 2:0)

Goals and assists: 2. Rattray (Kean, Pickford), 30. Rattray (Francis, Swanson), 30. Kurio, 38. Kean (Marsz), 42. Kurio (Traversa, Kean).

Jamie Lee Rattray‘s early goal set her team in the lead and it went downhill from there for Slovakia. While they were under pressure, Canada added two more tallies late in second period and sealed the deal in third with two more while Kristen Sugiyama managed to get the shutout. The bronze goes to Canada and the Slovaks are without a medal for the first time ever.

F: Czech Republic – USA 4:3 o.t. (0:0, 1:1, 2:2 – 1:0)

Goals and assists: 28. Krizova, 32. Nemcova (Ledlova), 34. Kubinova (Patockova), 46. Ledlova (Kosinova) – 17. Foley (Bronson, Frade), 32. Strohmier (Frade, Stewart), 44. Pfundt.

The final offered an interesting and dramatic climax to the women‘s tournament in Pardubice. The Americans took the lead on a power play in the second period but it was all even again for the third. There the Czechs went ahead twice, but couldn´t hold on either time before the final horn. But right at the start of overtime, Aneta Ledlova put it into the net and Tipsport Arena exploded with joy!