Italy suffered a setback against Ukraine. © FISG/Vanna Antonello

Blue eyes for Azzurri: “We must not throw them away”

The defeat against Ukraine was a significant setback for the Italian national ice hockey team. However, defenseman Luca Zanatta of HC Pustertal made the Blue Team's motto for the remaining games clear: Wipe your mouth and move on!

28 April 2025

From: never

How expensive the slip-up against Ukraine ( 2: 3 nPWhat ) really is will become clear in the coming days. But one thing is already clear: Coach Jukka Jalonen's team cannot afford another setback like the one on Monday afternoon in Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania. The Blue Team has just under two days to recover, and they intend to make the most of this time before their third World Cup match against Poland in Group A of the World Cup's Division 1.

"We managed to bounce back twice," Luca Zanatta began his analysis in a post-match interview with a positive note. Indeed, Italy fought back both after being down 0-1 and then 1-2 at the hands of the Ukrainians – but despite their dominance on the ice, the Azzurri were unable to take the lead. "We had chances to win not only in overtime, but also on the power play. We can't afford to throw them away like that," the HC Pustertal defenseman explained. "Today, we simply didn't manage it."

Zanatta: “We have to get back to basics”

The 33-year-old, who scored the 2-2 draw on Monday, was able to identify one reason for this shortly after the match. "We lost sight of something important: our core strengths," Zanatta noted. Fewer frills and more efficiency in front of goal – that's what he and his teammates want to stick to from now on. "We have to score the dirty goals, too, which count just as much as the beautiful ones. We have to get back to basics."

Italy needs to become more efficient in front of goal. © FISG/Vanna Antonello

Italy has a chance to make amends on Wednesday against Poland (15.00 p.m.), but Zanatta and Co. will be without a valuable teammate. For Mikael Frycklund, the World Cup ended prematurely after a leg injury.