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Ivar Stenberg scored to make it 3-0. © ANSA / SALVATORE DI NOLFI
Azure blue scoring drought: Italy fails to score again
A victory for Italy against medal contenders Sweden at the Ice Hockey World Championship on Friday was not to be expected. However, the fact that the Azzurri once again failed to score a single goal gives cause for concern.
22 May 2026
From: leo
The most likely scenario before the World Cup has come to pass: Italy is left without a single point before their final two group matches against Denmark and Slovenia. On Friday evening, the team led by captain Alex Trivellato suffered their fifth defeat in five games. Sweden, thanks to their young stars Ivar Stenberg and Viggo Björck, prevailed 3-0.
The two 18-year-olds, both expected to be selected in the top five of this year's NHL draft, displayed in front of nearly 5.100 fans at the BCF Arena everything the Azzurri have been lacking in Fribourg: flair, imagination, and decisiveness. Why coach Sam Hallam placed them on the first line alongside established NHL star Lucas Raymond, and why international scouts predict a glorious future for them, became clear not only with their goals to make it 2-0 and 3-0. It almost seemed as if they could increase the tempo at the push of a button. Whenever that happened, the Azzurri's otherwise solid defense was completely overwhelmed.
Clara alone is not enough
As if their focus was already on the next challenges, Italy completely missed the start. That the deficit wasn't larger by the halfway point was once again thanks to Damian Clara. Against many former teammates, the 21-year-old exuded composure, thwarted several high-scoring shots, and maintained his composure even in heavy traffic. The South Tyrolean ultimately racked up 31 saves, again achieving a save percentage of over 90 percent. Clara had already helped his teammates out of trouble with 55 saves against the Czech Republic.
The goalkeeper alone won't be able to prevent relegation. An improvement in performance from all his teammates is needed. Italy also needs to step up its game on special teams. So far, Italy has had twelve power plays at the World Championship – but hasn't scored from any of them. Even against Sweden, who allowed only twelve shots on goal in total, Phil Pietroniro and his teammates were far from effective on the power play.
The good news: Despite the five defeats, the chances of staying in the league remain intact. The first of the two crucial matches takes place on Sunday against Denmark, who are also yet to earn a point (4:20 pm). SportNews accompanies the game as usual with a live ticker.
The highlights
| Now it counts | After Ekman-Larsson's goal is disallowed, Grundström scores with a swiveling shot. Trivellato's attempt to disrupt the play is a fraction too late; Clara is powerless. |
| Sudden goal threat | Out of nowhere, Italy finds a top-class player: Purdeller plays a magical pass to Mantenuto, who suddenly finds himself completely alone in front of Hellberg, but lacks the necessary precision in his attempt. |
| Ice-cold power play | A few seconds before the end of the period, Clara deflects a Bjorck shot, the young star passes the rebound on to the equally aged Stenberg, who only has to put the puck into the empty net. |
| The teen duo again | When the turbo-charged youngsters Bjorck and Stenberg get serious, everything happens too fast for the Azzurri. In the second half, Bjorck again provides the assist, and once again Stenberg has an open goal in front of him after Bjorck's pass. |
| Almost 1-3 | With time running out, Frycklund passes back to Trivellato after a quick entry into the zone, leaving him unchallenged in the slot. Hellberg, however, gets a crucial touch on the low shot with his leg pad. |
Italy – Sweden 0:3
ITA: Clara (Fadani); Zanatta-Pietroniro, Trivellato-DiPerna, Spornberger-Gios, Buono-Nitz; De Luca-Bradley-Mantinger, Saracino-Frycklund-Zanetti, Frigo-Mantenuto-Purdeller, Segafredo-Misley-Deluca.coach: Noble
SWE: Hellberg (Soderblom); Larsson-Ekholm, Johansson-Ekman Larsson, Hägg-Persson, Brannstrom; Stenberg-Bjorck-Raymond, Heineman-de la Rose-Karlsson, Frondell-Sundqvist-Holmstrom, Grundström-Berglund-Silfverberg, Asplund.
coach: Hallam
Gates: 0:1 Grundström (9.09), 0:2 Stenberg (19.27), 0:3 Stenberg (28.04)
Viewers: 5089
Group B, the table:
| Pos | Country | Games | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Canada | 5 | 14 |
| 2. | Slovakia | 4 | 11 |
| 3. | Czechia | 4 | 10 |
| 4. | Sweden | 5 | 9 |
| 5. | Norway | 4 | 7 |
| 6. | Slovenia | 5 | 3 |
| 7. | Denmark | 4 | 0 |
| 8. | Italy | 5 | 0 |
Ice Hockey World Championship, Group A:
Finland – Great Britain 4:0Goals: 1:0 Heinola (00.58), 2:0 Heinola (28.30), 3:0 Lehtonen (31.51), 4:0 Jokiharju (58.50)
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