Mission quarter-finals: Austria stays on course

Austria secured its third tournament victory at the World Cup in Sweden and Scandinavia against Slovenia – albeit with an enormous effort.

18 May 2025

From: apa

Austria's ice hockey team continues its winning streak at the World Championships in Stockholm. The ÖEHV team defeated Slovenia 3-2 on Sunday after a penalty shootout (1-1,0, 0,1-1,0, 0,1-0, 12.20-XNUMX, XNUMX-XNUMX) and will aim for a quarterfinal spot in their final match against Latvia on Tuesday (XNUMX:XNUMX p.m./live on ORF). In a nail-biting match, three Austrians converted their penalties.

Austria, back with Benjamin Baumgartner, who had recently been injured, got off to a flying start and had the first big chance after 18 seconds through Marco Kasper. Two penalties slowed their momentum, and Slovenia took advantage of the power play to take the lead when Paul Stapelfeldt deflected a shot from Blaz Gregorc into his own net (10th minute).

Austria strikes back

The Austrians struck back with a perfect counterattack. Dominic Zwerger scored his first goal of the tournament (14th minute) after a pass from Peter Schneider between the pads of goalkeeper Lukas Horak. Bader's team then had several chances to take the lead, including a shot from Lukas Kainz that hit the crossbar (18th minute).

Brian Lebler high-fives his teammates. © APA/afp / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND

After a tough middle period, in which Raffl and his team survived four minutes of being shorthanded, the Austrians pressed for a decisive victory in the final period. A Kasper shot bounced off the inside post (49th minute), but shortly afterwards, the numerous fans in red, white, and red were celebrating. Brian Lebler, making his World Cup comeback in Stockholm after a three-year hiatus, deflected a shot from Lukas Haudum into the net.

Kickert keeps his team in the game

The Slovenians quickly came back, however, and Robert Sabolic equalized (54th minute). In extra time, Thomas Raffl had a great chance to score the winning goal, but goalkeeper David Kickert kept his team in the game three times, while Haudum missed the final chance. However, the team held their nerve in the deciding game. Haudum, Zwerger, and Baumgartner scored, and Kickert was unstoppable.

Goalie Kickert exceeded his own expectations. © APA/afp / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND

Austria celebrated its third victory in Stockholm; the only previous victory at a World Cup was in Norway in 1999. This means that a place in the quarterfinals in Stockholm Group A will be decided by a three-way battle between Austria (7 points), Slovakia (7), and Latvia (6). Slovakia and Latvia will meet in the evening match (20.20:16.20 p.m.), while Slovakia will also play Finland on Tuesday (XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.) after Austria vs. Latvia.

Switzerland dismantles Hungary

In the evening match, the Hungarian national team was clearly inferior to Switzerland – the 0-10 defeat speaks volumes. Andres Ambühl particularly shone, scoring three goals. Ambühl opened the scoring with the 1-0 and then scored twice more – a perfect hat trick. He played a key role in the decisive victory.

For Switzerland, the game was so one-sided that coach Patrick Fischer was without several regular players for the first time in a World Cup group match. Denis Malgin, Sven Andrighetto (both ZSC Lions), and defender Jonas Siegenthaler were given a breather. The trio will be rested for the knockout phase, which begins with the quarterfinals on Thursday.