First round of the quarterfinals are done, as Slovakia maintained their stable run, as they pushed to win today's match against Team Germany, officially eliminating them from the tournament.
For a brief moment, Germany felt the spark of a deep tournament run. Slovakia, however, proved to be the ultimate extinguisher. Just as Germany found their rhythm in the second period, Slovakia snuffed out the flame and began to pull away on the scoreboard.
First period
7 minutes into the match, the first penalty of the match has been awarded to Germany’s Kai Wissman for hooking. At 10:27, Slovakia gets their first penalty for Lukáš Cingel of Slovakia for holding.
2 minutes before the horn blares to end the first period, Slovakia gets first on the board with a goal by Pavol Regenda, swiftly assisted by teammates Erik Černák and Martin Fehervary. First period ends with Slovakia on the board with 1, Germany with 0.
Second period
Star player Juraj Slafkovský made the whole nation of Slovakia worried and on their feet for a second, as he tripped and was driven head-first into the boards by Germany’s Moritz Seider, resulting in no penalty awarded. Revenge arrived for Slovakia’s star player at 15:59, as they get on the board with 2-0, a goal from Miloš Kelemen, assisted by Pavol Regenda.
33 seconds after, Slovakia once again, finds the back of Germany’s net as Oliver Okuliar scores and assisted by Libor Hudáček and Dalibor Dvorský, helping Slovakia go further in the lead, as the camera pans to Germany’s captain Leon Draisaitl, showing envy and disappointment, as they continue to get shut out.
Slovakia goaltender Samuel Hlavaj's stick slides off of his hands, as he has been awarded a penalty for tripping, served by Pavol Regenda.
30:21 deep in the second period, Dalibor Dvorský shoots the puck past Philipp Grubauer with another goal assisted by Oliver Okuliar and Patrick Koch, further widening the gap of their score from Germany.
Team Germany finally felt a spark, as they get on the board at 34:59 as Leon Draisaitl controlled the puck from center ice and passing the puck to Lukas Reichel, with the young German star successfully shooting it past Slovakia’s goaltender. Scores are now SVK 4-1 GER.
Germany’s doubts in winning the game still lingers, as they still need to shoot at least 3 goals to make the scores tie and go to overtime, but Slovakia Goaltender Samuel Hlavaj blows their spark of excitement and hope at every shot he saves.
Third period
58 seconds in the third period, Slovakia's Pavol Regenda immediately takes the shot as the puck passes by Grubauer, scoring a goal assisted by Patrick Koch and Martin Pospíšil, adding another goal for Slovakia, making the scores 5-1
Germany feels the final spark of the whole tournament, as the final goal for their Winter Olympics journey is scored by Frederik Tiffels, assisted by Lukas Reichel and Moritz Muller. 6 minutes after, Germany Goaltender Philipp Grubauer was pulled to the side.
Of course, Slovakia had to end the match with a finale, as Tomáš Tatar shoots an empty net goal which was assisted by Juraj Slafkovský and Adam Ružička, adding the cherry to the top, as Slovakia officially eliminates Germany with 6-2, as they move on to the Men's Ice Hockey Semifinals.
As scores show Team Germany's games (Feb 12: GER 3-1 DEN), (Feb 14: GER 3-4 LAT), (Feb 15: GER 1-5 USA), (Feb 17: GER 5-1), Germany's 2-6 loss to Slovakia today officially ends their 2026 Olympic run with an 2-3 record.
Slovakia has eliminated one of the teams with high expectations, as they take the first spot in the semifinals, removing star Team Germany players like: Lukas Reichel (Vancouver Canucks), Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings), Tim Stützle (Ottawa Senators), and Captain Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers).
The quarterfinals match ended with SVK 6-2 GER, Slovakia shooting a total of 35 shots on goal, and Germany with 27.
Germany's Lukas Reichel leaves Milan with the most points for this match, securing 2, as Slovakia's Pavol Regenda leaves behind the quarterfinals with 3 points. Leon Draisaitl of Germany finishes his tournament with 2 goals, 5 assists, and 7 points 5 games played.
Despite the bitter loss and the team's Olympic journey ending, German goaltender Phillip Grubauer continued to thrive despite the pressure by the team, fans, and himself, and tried his best to shield the net, as he saved 21/27 goals in total. Grubauer leaves Italy with a 91.20 save percentage.
Slovakia shows their Olympic strength, as they officially move forward to the semifinals, happening this Feb. 20. The team continues to dominate the boards as they play on ice, with enthusiastic and optimistic minds to make it to the medal games this coming weekend.