Czechia broke Italy in the third period and strengthened its lead at the top of Group B at the Ice Hockey World Championship
The Czech national ice hockey team defeated Italy 3:1 in a Group B match of the Men's Ice Hockey World Championship, played on 20 May 2026 at the BCF Arena in Fribourg. According to the official schedule of the International Ice Hockey Federation, the match was part of the preliminary round of the tournament being played from 15 to 31 May in Switzerland, in Zurich and Fribourg. Czechia was behind after two periods, but in the final 20 minutes it turned the match around and confirmed its status as one of the most stable teams in the group.
The match ended 3:1 for Czechia, by periods 0:0, 0:1 and 3:0. Italy took the lead in the second period through a goal by Nicholas Saracino, and Czechia responded only in the third part, when Marek Alscher, Jakub Flek and Dominik Kubalik scored in succession. The official IIHF game sheet shows that Czechia had a clear dominance in shots on goal, 58:15, but Italian goaltender Damian Clara kept Italy in the match for a long time with 55 saves.
The victory gave Czechia an important continuation of its good run of results in Group B. According to the official IIHF standings after the matches played on 20 May, Czechia had 10 points from four appearances, with three regulation-time wins and one overtime defeat. Italy, on the other hand, remained without points after four matches and with a goal difference of 2:17, which further increased the pressure in the battle to remain in the elite tier of world hockey.
Italy resisted for a long time despite major Czech dominance
Czechia imposed its rhythm from the start, but the first part of the match did not bring a goal. According to the official match statistics, Czech players sent 15 shots on target in the first period, while Italy had five attempts toward Dominik Pavlat. Despite that difference, the Italian defence and goaltender Clara withstood the initial pressure, and the 0:0 score after 20 minutes left Italy room for a different development of the match from what the balance of power on the ice suggested.
In the second period, Czech domination in possession and shots increased further. The official game sheet states that Czechia had 24 shots on target in that period, while Italy had only three. Nevertheless, Italy scored the goal: Nicholas Saracino scored in the 29th minute, after an assist from Mikael Frycklund, and gave the Italian national team a 1:0 lead. It was a moment that made the match uncertain in terms of the result, although it was already clear then that Italy was struggling to get out of pressure and that it was spending most of the time in its defensive zone.
Czechia did not make use of its number of shots in the second period, but it remained patient and continued attacking without suddenly losing its structure. The Italians collected two two-minute penalties in that part of the match, while Czechia had no exclusions in the second period. Still, neither team scored with the man advantage. According to the official game sheet, Czechia spent a total of eight minutes in power-play situations, and Italy two minutes, but all goals in the match were scored at even strength, with the exception of Czechia's final empty-net goal.
Turnaround in the third period
Czechia reached the equaliser in the 46th minute. Marek Alscher scored for 1:1 after passes from Karel Tichacek and Matej Blumel, by which the Czech team finally capitalised on the pressure it had been building during most of the match. That goal changed the dynamics of the match because Italy had until then been defending a minimal lead, and after the equaliser it had to withstand even stronger pressure from an opponent that already had a major advantage in rhythm and freshness of attack.
The second Czech goal arrived in the 52nd minute. Jakub Flek scored for 2:1, with assists from David Tomasek and Filip Hronek. It was the goal that gave Czechia the lead for the first time and at the same time confirmed that the Italian defensive block was no longer managing to close the space in front of Clara equally effectively. The Italian goaltender continued to record saves, but Czechia had 19 shots on target in the third period, which represented extremely difficult pressure for a team defending the result.
Italy tried to change the course of the match in the closing stages by pulling the goaltender. According to the official game sheet, Clara left the ice in the 59th minute, and Czechia soon punished the risk. Dominik Kubalik made it the final 3:1 with an empty-net goal in the 60th minute, after an assist from David Tomasek. With that, the match was practically decided, and Czechia avoided the danger of another group match going into overtime or a shootout.
Damian Clara stopped 55 shots, but that was not enough for Italy
Italy's standout individual was goaltender Damian Clara. According to the official IIHF game sheet, he faced 58 Czech shots on target and saved 55 of them. Such a number of saves clearly shows how much pressure Italy endured during the match. Clara was especially important in the first and second periods, when Czechia had a total of 39 shots and did not score a single goal.
On the other side, Czech goaltender Dominik Pavlat had a much calmer evening. Italy sent 15 shots toward his goal, and Pavlat stopped 14 of them. The only goal he conceded came in the second period, when Saracino made use of one of Italy's rare chances. Although Pavlat was not under constant pressure, his role was important in maintaining stability after the Italian lead, especially in moments when Czechia had to avoid additional nervousness.
The 58:15 shot ratio was the clearest indicator of the balance of power. Czechia had more shots on target in all three periods: 15:5 in the first, 24:3 in the second and 19:7 in the third. Italy, despite the heavy defensive burden, remained close in the score until the closing stages. Still, after the Czech equaliser it did not manage to create enough danger to seriously threaten the comeback.
Czechia continued its good tournament in Group B
Czechia continued collecting points in Group B in Fribourg, where Canada, Slovakia, Norway, Sweden, Slovenia, Denmark and Italy are also placed. According to the official IIHF schedule, Czechia opened the tournament with a 4:1 win against Denmark, then lost to Slovenia 2:3 after overtime, defeated Sweden 4:3 and then overcame Italy 3:1. Such a run shows that the Czech national team has depth and resilience, but also that it must maintain concentration against teams that rely on solid defence and transition.
After the match against Italy, according to the official IIHF standings, Czechia was first in Group B with 10 points and a goal difference of 13:8. Canada at that moment had three wins from three appearances and nine points, while Slovakia and Norway held places that also lead toward the upper part of the group. Such a table means that the battle for positions ahead of the knockout stage continued, and every point may be important when determining the quarter-final pairings.
Czechia still has demanding matches in the closing part of the group, including meetings with Slovakia, Norway and Canada. According to the official IIHF schedule, the match against Slovakia is planned for 23 May at the BCF Arena, the duel with Norway for 25 May, and the match against Canada for 26 May. It is precisely those meetings that could determine how high Czechia will finish in the group and what its path will be in the elimination stage.
Italy without points after four matches
For Italy, the defeat against Czechia was its fourth in four appearances at the tournament. According to the official IIHF schedule and results, before that match Italy had lost to Canada 0:6, to Slovakia 1:4 and to Norway 0:4. Saracino's goal against Czechia was only Italy's second goal of the championship, after the team had major problems with finishing in its first three appearances. Although the performance against Czechia brought better resistance in terms of the result than some earlier duels, the points return remained unchanged.
The Italian national team must look for an opportunity in the remaining group matches that are directly important for the standings near the bottom of the table. According to the official IIHF schedule, after Czechia Italy faces matches against Sweden, Denmark and Slovenia. The duels with Denmark and Slovenia could be especially important, because it is most often in such matches that it is decided who remains in the elite group and who ends the season in the zone of greatest risk.
According to the official standings after the matches of 20 May, Italy was last in Group B without points, with four defeats and a goal difference of 2:17. Denmark was also without points then, but with one match fewer and a better goal difference. Such a situation adds extra weight to each of Italy's next appearances, because in the preliminary round not only the number of points counts, but in certain outcomes head-to-head records and the overall goal difference can also become important.
Switzerland as host and tournament format
The 2026 World Championship is being held in Switzerland, and the IIHF states on its official website that the tournament is played from 15 to 31 May in Zurich and Fribourg. The match between Czechia and Italy was played at the BCF Arena in Fribourg, while part of the tournament is played at the Swiss Life Arena in Zurich. The preliminary round is divided into two groups, and it is followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals, bronze-medal game and final.
In such a format, every group match has double value. On the one hand, points decide advancement to the knockout stage and position in the quarter-finals. On the other hand, for national teams near the bottom of the table, every match affects the battle to remain among the world's best national teams. Czechia, with the victory against Italy, continued to chase a high position, while Italy must look for points in the remaining matches to avoid the most unfavourable outcome.
The match in Fribourg also showed the difference between teams that have constant attacking depth and national teams that must build most of the match on defence, goaltending saves and rare breakouts toward the opponent's goal. Italy managed for a long time to hold the score thanks to Clara and disciplined play in the defensive third, but the number of shots and the duration of Czech pressure ultimately decided it. Czechia, meanwhile, won a match in which it did not find finishing early, which may be important for confidence in the rest of the tournament.
Key match data
- Competition: 2026 Men's Ice Hockey World Championship
- Stage: preliminary round, Group B, match 26
- Venue: BCF Arena, Fribourg, Switzerland
- Date: 20 May 2026
- Result: Czechia – Italy 3:1
- Score by periods: 0:0, 0:1, 3:0
- Scorers: Saracino for Italy; Alscher, Flek and Kubalik for Czechia
- Shots on goal: Czechia 58, Italy 15
- Spectators: 4517
Sources:
- IIHF – official schedule and results of the 2026 World Championship, including the result of the Czechia – Italy match and the Group B schedule (link)
- IIHF – official summary of the Czechia – Italy match, game sheet with goals, goaltenders, shots, penalties and spectators (link)
- IIHF – official standings of the 2026 World Championship after preliminary-round matches (link)
- IIHF – official championship page with information on hosting, cities and tournament duration (link)
- Hockey Canada – summary of match number 26 confirming the result, date, venue and competition stage (link)