02/18/26 09:48:00
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02/18 09:46 CST Dalibor Dvorsky produces again as Slovakia beats Germany to
reach the Olympic semifinals
Dalibor Dvorsky produces again as Slovakia beats Germany to reach the Olympic
semifinals
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer
MILAN (AP) --- Since arriving at the Olympics, Slovakia's players and coaches
acknowledged they would lean heavily on Juraj Slafkovsky. They also emphasized
it cannot be just about the emerging Montreal Canadiens star to make any kind
of run.
That was the message Wednesday before playing Germany in the quarterfinals.
"We were saying, ?It doesn't matter who's going to score,'" Slafkovsky said.
"We just need that one extra goal."
They got a few extra. Dalibor Dvorsky turned in another brilliant performance
with a goal and an assist, fellow NHL forward Pavol Regenda scored twice as
part of his three-point game and Slovakia dominated Germany 6-2 on Wednesday to
reach the semifinals and guarantee playing for a medal in Milan.
"Amazing," said alternate captain Erik Cernak, a two-time Stanley Cup champion
with the Tampa Bay Lightning. "Before the tournament, if we would say we're
going to make semifinals, probably people would laugh at you. But we did it,
and it's not done yet."
Slovakia got an injury scare in the second period when the 21-year-old
Slafkovsky, the reigning Olympic MVP, went head-first into the boards and was
slow to get up. A trainer applied an ice pack to the back of Slafkovsky's neck,
and he held it on himself when he got up to celebrate a goal scored while he
was getting medical attention.
"I'm OK," Slafkovsky said. "I was a little shaken up, but after a couple
minutes I felt OK again. I went out there, and head wasn't spinning. I was
seeing normal."
Slafkovsky was held off the scoresheet until assisting on captain Tomas Tatar's
empty-net goal with 3:27 left, and he was thrilled to see his teammates fill
the net instead.
"I don't think it does matter if Slafko has some points," defenseman Martin
Fehervary said. "He can do some other work for us, and we have plenty of
players who can score, as well."
Dvorsky, who plays for the St. Louis Blues, and Regenda, who split time between
the San Jose Sharks and their American Hockey League affiliate this season, led
the way offensively. Dvorsky made the initial pass that led to Milos Kelemen's
goal and had a terrific individual effort to spring himself for his third goal
at the Olympics.
At the other end of the rink, Minnesota Wild goaltending prospect Samuel Hlavaj
did his job, making 25 saves and allowing only goals to Lukas Reichel, off a
feed from Leon Draisaitl, and to Frederik Tiffels on the power play.
Slovakia is four years removed from Slafkovsky scoring seven goals and leading
it to bronze, the country's first hockey medal of any color at the Olympics.
That was after the NHL pulled out of participating in Beijing at the eleventh
hour because of pandemic-related scheduling issues.
This time, the competition included Draisaitl, Finland's Mikko Rantanen and
Sweden's William Nylander among the stars who were missing in 2022.
"It's probably 100 times better," Slafkovsky said. "You've got the best players
over here, and we managed to come here and go to semifinals. It's big for me,
big for our country, big for every supporter we have."
This was supposed to be something of a learning experience tournament, with
more hope for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey and the 2030 Games in the French
Alps when some of Slovakia's younger players had more experience. Instead,
coach Vladimir Orszagh's team already exceeded expectations just by getting to
this point.
"I cannot be more proud of our players," Orszagh said. "We are a band of
brothers who work for the team, for each other, and living our dream. And we're
still living."
Slovakia as the No. 3 seed can face any of the U.S., Finland, Switzerland,
Sweden or Czechia in the semifinals Friday, depending on how the rest of the
results go.
"We just have to keep working, and whatever opening comes next, we're going to
be ready for whoever," Regenda said. "We have to be as a team as we are. We
have great guys, and we have to stick as a team."
The U.S. plays Sweden after top-seeded Canada takes on Czechia, with Finland
versus Switzerland taking place across town at the secondary arena.
"They can move the puck really well," U.S. defenseman Noah Hanifin said of the
Swedes, who beat Latvia in the qualification playoff to reach the
quarterfinals. "I think for us it's just about having a good start. They played
last night. Just got to get on them early and kind of establish that physical
game that makes us a good team. Play fast. It should be a lot of fun, though."
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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