Norway stays in the game for playoffs

08 May 2015 | Petr Polák

Sold-out ČEZ Aréna in Ostrava was watching a game between Slovenia and Norway. The result was formed by three power play goals of Norway.

This is the eight Top Division World Championship ever for Slovenia. Formerly, in only two cases Slovenia managed to avoid back-to-back relegation. And after playing four games in this year`s championship so far, they had no points on bottom of the Group B.

It means, Slovenia is again affected with the fight for survival in the Top Divison, and the match with Norway appeared to be an important one, because Norway`s lead ahead of Slovenia was three points only.

Like if importance of the game for Team Slovenia befallen the game`s officials, they did a huge mistake which impacted the game`s score after the first period. Referees considered Ales Music to offended with slashing against Norway starting goalie Lars Haugen, but in fact Music was just trying to shoot the puck which was still in play during the time of whistle.

And just nine seconds after start of Norway`s first powerplay in the game, they converted. Patrick Thoresen tipped a slapper by Mathis Olimb and the first period`s score was closed at 1-0 yet in the nineth minute of play.

Slovenia recovered fifteen seconds in the middle session. Just after the opening faceoff, Anze Kopitar sent a long pass to Jan Mursak into a breakaway which was finished by a wristshot to top of Haugen`s goal: 1-1.

In two minutes time, the second Norway`s powerplay came, and it was used to score, too. In the shorthanded`s ending, all four defending Slovenians appeared on the right side of their defensive zone, which Ken Andre Olimb noticed and sent a pass to utterly unguarded Anders Bastiansen on right circle to take back the one-goal lead 2:1.

The team from shores of Adriatic had to start mining Norway`s goal from whole beginning. And may be it would work, if there was no more penalty killing against them, because playing shorthanded was really killing Slovenia this night - also the third powerplay was turned to a goal by Norway, this time by Jonas Holos` hard slapper.

All the third period, Team Slovenia was looking for another goals, trying to tied the score up, but did not score even once.

Thus, after a 3-1 loss to Norway, Slovenians remains in the last position in Group B with no points, keeping probably the only chance to save their souls - in Monday`s game with Denmark, because any income of points from the game against USA (May 10) would be very surprising..

After beating Slovakia on last Wednesday, Norway now gets the second victory in group phase of the tournament and still keeping some chance to qualify for the playoffs when having two more games in the schedule: Denmark and Belarus.