Denmark cruise past Slovenia to record first win at World Championships

Denmark's Mathias From, left, challenges Slovenia's goaltender Lukas Horak, during the game
Denmark's Mathias From, left, challenges Slovenia's goaltender Lukas Horak, during the gameCredit: ČTK / AP / Alessandro della Valle

Denmark on Saturday afternoon recorded their first win at the Ice hockey World Championships in Switzerland when they cruised past Slovenia with a 4-0 win.

Thanks to the win, Denmark climbed to sixth place in Group B, ahead of Slovenia and Italy. Slovenia went into the match with a winning 2-1-1 record against Denmark, and even a plus-1 goal difference in the four World Championship games the teams played between 2005 and 2015.

Denmark had the better of the first period without making the most of their chances, but edged ahead during their first power-play opportunity at 13:52 of the second period when Nick Olesen and Mikkel Aagaard set up Joachim Blichfeld, who fired a wrist shot which beat Lukas Horak.

Denmark Match Results
Denmark Match ResultsFlashare

The goal gave Denmark plenty of momentum, and while they didn't allow the Slovenians to get back into the match, they doubled their lead with 1:17 remaining in the period when Patrick Russell redirected Patrick Bruggisser’s point shot through Horak’s legs to make it 2-0 for Denmark. 

Denmark’s penalty killing prevented Slovenia from getting a lifeline during power play in the third period, and towards the end of the match, Russell scoring his second goal of the game, and Aagaard put the game effectively beyond reach for the Slovenians. 

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