Sweden secured the win, while Czech fought hard
Sweden and Czech delivered an action-packed matchup in their President’s Pool game. Sweden took the lead just one minute into play, as Linda Skulic placed the ring precisely into the far corner. Their second goal came short-handed when Natalie Castañeda Månsson skillfully bluffed the Czech goaltender and finished into an open net. Team Czech soon narrowed the gap with a goal from Andrea Sammon, whose shot deflected off a Swedish defender and into the net — also while short-handed.
In the second period, the Czech goaltender Kateřina Dvořáková kept her team in the game with several key saves, but Sweden extended their lead when Meri Ruuska scored twice in quick succession. Czech responded with a goal from Charitina Stelbaska, but Ruuska soon completed her hat trick to restore Sweden’s three-goal advantage. The teams headed into the break with Sweden leading 2–5.
After the intermission, Sweden maintained their scoring rhythm as Ruuska netted her fourth of the game from a rebound. Sweden’s tenth goal came from Ellen Granath, who finished neatly from the edge of the crease off a cross-ice pass by Sabah Esmail. The game
Some fatigue was visible in the Czech players after their tough battle against Team USA the previous day, but the team kept fighting until the end. In the final period, Czech found their scoring touch again with two goals — Šarlota Tomasco scored from in front of the net following a smart feed, and Stelbaska added her second of the game after a quick chain of passes from the defensive zone. Stelbaska was named Czech’s player of the game, while Sweden’s Linda Skulic, who also scored the opener of the game, received the honor for her team.
The game featured a few physical plays and a large number of penalties but fortunately no major injuries happened. Sweden broke away midway through the second period and never looked back, while Czech showed determination and fought hard until the final whistle. Full game statistics are available at: https://ringette.torneopal.fi/taso/ottelu.php?otteluid=484909
Sweden won’t have much recovery time, as the next President’s Pool game takes place tomorrow at 18:00 in Lahti, where Sweden and the USA will face each other for the second time. Another fast-paced and tightly contested matchup is surely ahead!
