After a 3:2 victory over Switzerland, the Czech women’s ice hockey players defended their bronze medal from last year at the world championship in Canada. Immediately after the match, big celebrations broke out, which spread over the ice surface, the dressing room and the bus to the hotel pool. On Tuesday, most of the team will return to the Czech Republic.
At the end of the duel for third place, the Czechs did not allow Switzerland to put significant pressure on them and after the time expired, they fell on the goalkeeper Blanka Škodová. She gave a fantastic performance, especially in the crucial quarter-final with Finland and excellently replaced the injured support Klára Peslarová.
Last year in Denmark at the turn of August and September, the Czechs won the first ever medal for adult women’s hockey, on Sunday they started celebrating the successful defense.
“It’s also good for all the girls at home. They see that we are among the top three in the world, and last year it wasn’t just a coincidence. The world has to get used to us being at the top like this,” said forward Michaela Pejzlová for the website of the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF.
“As a whole team, we are good at playing with the puck. And we’ve always been good at it. But now we can add something from overseas hockey and play physically. That’s what brings us success,” continued Pejzlová.
Under both bronzes is the signature of Canadian coach Carla MacLeodová, who took over the national team after the resignation of Tomáš Pacina, who was the first with him to advance to the Olympics in Beijing.
“It’s exciting, rewarding and encouraging. All the possible words belong here, but not thanks to me and for me. Those words belong to the girls. In the third place game, it was a huge step for us to understand that we are seriously among the best and can strive for the highest goals,” the coach pointed out.
As the last of the entire implementation team, she reached for the medal on the ice, thanked the Czech fans and compatriots in the stands in Brampton for their applause, and then enjoyed moments of joy together with the players.
“So we’re third, so what?!” the hockey players shouted to each other while posing with the trophy.
In the dressing room, the victory shout was followed by a traditional dance to the Slovak song “Kde si včera bol”, which has accompanied the Czech team for a long time.
Celebrations of Czech female hockey players on the ice and in the cabin:
“The feeling that we did it again is something indescribable,” said Denisa Křížová, the scorer of two Czech goals in the bronze medal match, in an interview with Hokej.cz.
The Czechs only lost in the tournament to a pair of qualitatively improved opponents, the United States and Canada. Thanks to the victories over Switzerland and Finland, they defended the position of the best European team and also managed the Japanese.
The celebrations continued on the way by bus from the stadium and were also transferred to the hotel pool. Striker Natálie Mlýnková jumped into the water directly with the bronze trophy in her hands.
Jump with the trophy into the pool on the second “slide” of the post:
“The celebrations will be long, that’s clear,” smiled Křížová on Sunday after the match. While some players working overseas as well as coach MacLeod remain in Canada, most of the team will fly back to the Czech Republic on Tuesday afternoon.
