Slovenia pulled off a major surprise against Czechia: overtime win for two important points in Fribourg
Slovenia recorded one of the most notable victories of the opening part of the Ice Hockey World Championship on Saturday, 16 May 2026, at the BCF Arena in Fribourg. In a Group B preliminary-round game, it defeated Czechia 3:2 after overtime, even though it was in a distinctly subordinate position in terms of shots on goal. According to the official game report of the International Ice Hockey Federation, the Czech national team had 35 shots on the Slovenian goal, while Slovenia had 17 shots, but from those opportunities it extracted a result of maximum value. The winning goal was scored by Marcel Mahkovec in the 62nd minute, or after 61 minutes and 14 seconds of play, as Slovenia closed out a duel that was developing in the direction of a major surprise.
The match was played in front of 5528 spectators and lasted until 22:37 local time, according to the official IIHF game summary. Czechia arrived in Fribourg in the role of favourite and after an opening victory over Denmark, but against Slovenia it encountered an opponent that, with disciplined defending, good goaltending and patient play, waited for its opportunity. Slovenia thereby took two points, while Czechia, as the defeated team after overtime, earned one point. Such an outcome is especially important in the points system used at world championships, because an overtime win brings two points, while an overtime loss brings one.
An early Slovenian goal changed the rhythm of the game
According to the official game report, Slovenia took the lead in the tenth minute of the first period, when Matic Török took advantage of a power play and scored for 1:0. The assists on that goal went to Jan Drozg and Robert Sabolič, and that goal was the only one of the first section. Czechia had more shots in that part of the game, but failed to break through the Slovenian defence and goaltender Lukaš Horak. The first period ended with Slovenia leading 1:0, with the shot ratio 10:4 in favour of Czechia, which already showed the basic pattern of the game: Czechia attacked more, while Slovenia had to withstand the pressure and be efficient in its rare forward moves.
Such a start carried psychological weight. Czechia had to chase a deficit against a team that could close the middle of the ice and wait for mistakes, while Slovenia received confirmation that it could punish Czech penalties. In preliminary-round games, especially when playing against an objectively stronger opponent, the first goal often changes the way risk is distributed. After taking the lead, Slovenia could play more patiently, while Czechia had to increase the pressure. The official shot data confirm that the pressure existed, but also that it was not enough to control the final outcome.
Czechia turned the game around in the second period, but Slovenia did not fall apart
Czechia reached the equaliser in the 25th minute, when Martin Kaut scored for 1:1 from an assist by Matyaš Melovsky. At that moment it seemed that the favourite was gradually taking over the game, because Slovenia had difficulty getting out of its defensive third and increasingly relied on goaltender Horak. Czech pressure continued until the end of the second period, and in the 38th minute Lukas Sedlak scored for 2:1. According to the official IIHF game report, Michal Kempny and Jiri Mandat were credited with assists, and Czechia took the lead for the first time in the game.
The second period was the hardest part of the game for Slovenia. Czechia had 15 shots on the Slovenian goal during that stretch, while Slovenia had only five. Despite that, the difference remained only one goal, which ultimately proved crucial. Horak made a series of saves in the second period that kept Slovenia in the game, and the defence managed to prevent the Czech lead from turning into an unreachable advantage. For a game of this profile, that was a decisive detail: Slovenia did not have to dominate, but it had to stay close enough for one situation in the third period to change the direction of the duel.
Kuralt equalised, Mahkovec decided it after only 74 seconds of overtime
The third period brought a Slovenian response. In the 49th minute Anže Kuralt scored for 2:2, with assists from Jan Goličič and Rok Tičar, according to the official game summary. That goal returned the game to complete uncertainty and forced Czechia to look again for a way to break through the well-organised Slovenian defence. There were no new goals by the end of regulation, so the duel went to overtime. According to tournament rules, preliminary-round games that end tied after 60 minutes continue with a five-minute overtime period in which each team plays with three skaters and a goaltender, and the game ends as soon as one team scores.
Slovenia needed only 74 seconds to win in overtime. Marcel Mahkovec scored for the final 3:2 from an assist by Rok Tičar, and the official game report recorded the time of the winning goal at 61:14. Slovenia thereby took the additional point and left Czechia with one point, even though the Czech national team had twice as many shots on goal. That detail further emphasises the importance of efficiency and goaltending performance in hockey, especially in games in which the nominal favourite fails to break the opponent on the scoreboard during the periods of greatest pressure.
Horak stopped 33 shots, Pavlat collected 14 saves
One of the key figures in the Slovenian victory was goaltender Lukaš Horak. According to the IIHF game report, Horak saved 33 of 35 shots and spent 61 minutes and 14 seconds on the ice, that is, the entire game until the winning goal in overtime. His performance was especially important in the second period, when Czechia applied the most pressure and when Slovenia conceded two goals, but did not lose control of the game. In hockey, such games are often decided precisely by the ratio between created chances and goaltender saves, and in Fribourg the Slovenian goaltender was one of the reasons why Czechia's statistical superiority did not turn into a victory.
On the other side, Dominik Pavlat finished the match with 14 saves after 17 Slovenian shots. According to the official statistics, Czechia had 35 total shots on goal, 32 faceoffs won and 22 lost, while Slovenia in that segment had 22 faceoffs won and 32 lost. Czechia also had a higher faceoff success rate, 59.26 percent compared with Slovenia's 40.74 percent. These data show that Czechia had more possession and initiative, but the game was not decided only through the volume of attacks, but through precision, defensive concentration and the ability to use key moments.
The special weight of victory in the Group B system
The 2026 World Championship is being played in Zürich and Fribourg, and in its official tournament information the IIHF states that 16 national teams are divided into two groups. The preliminary round is played in a single round-robin system, and the four best national teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals. The points system further increases the importance of games like this: a win in regulation brings three points, a win after overtime or a shootout brings two, a loss after overtime or a shootout brings one, and a loss in regulation brings no points.
For Slovenia, the two points against Czechia are therefore much more than one surprising result. In a group in which, alongside Slovenia and Czechia, there are also Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway and Italy, every point can be important both in the fight for the quarter-finals and in the fight to avoid the bottom of the standings. Czechia, on the other hand, did not remain without points, but it lost a point in a game in which, by its role as favourite and by the statistical picture, it could have expected more. According to the official schedule, Czechia is next awaiting duels with Sweden, Italy, Slovakia, Norway and Canada, while Slovenia continues against Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, Canada, Denmark and Italy.
Czechia left without the full reward despite the pressure
The Czech national team under Radim Rulik had more elements of the game on its side, but did not find a way to turn the lead from the second period into a calmer finish. After Sedlak's goal for 2:1, Czechia had a result that allowed it to control the game, but Slovenia stayed in contact and reached the third period with a realistic chance. That is especially dangerous for a favourite in a preliminary-round game, because every entry into the closing stages with a one-goal difference increases the possibility of an equaliser from one move, rebound, penalty or mistake in the zone.
For Czechia, this defeat is a warning before the more demanding part of the schedule. Group B also contains national teams with very high ambitions, and points lost in the early stage can make the fight for a better position before the quarter-finals more difficult. Still, because of the points system, Czechia took one point from Fribourg, which softens the consequences of the defeat. The problem lies in the impression that a game it statistically controlled ended on the side of an opponent that was more efficient and calmer in the decisive moments.
Slovenia showed why, in hockey, an advantage on paper must be confirmed on the ice
Slovenia's victory over Czechia was not the result of long-term domination, but of precise execution of a plan that required patience, endurance and excellent goaltending. Edo Terglav's team was under pressure for most of the match, but found a way to punish Czech penalties and use the more open space in overtime. Török's power-play goal, Kuralt's equaliser in the third period and Mahkovec's final shot gave Slovenia a victory that will be remembered as one of the bigger surprises of the competition so far.
For the broader context of the tournament, this game confirms that the preliminary round can quickly open unexpected scenarios. Favourites must not rely only on a higher number of shots and longer possession, while teams that arrive with lower expectations can gain a great deal if they remain disciplined and keep the game open until the finish. Slovenia did exactly that against Czechia. In a game in which it conceded 35 shots, lost most of the faceoffs and was under pressure in the second period, it extracted a victory that brings it important points and a significantly stronger position in the continuation of Group B.
Sources:
- IIHF – official schedule and results of the 2026 World Championship, including the result of the Slovenia – Czechia game and the Group B schedule (link)
- IIHF Statistics / Game Summary – official game report for Slovenia – Czechia, scorers, goaltender statistics, shots, penalties and arena data (link)
- IIHF – official information on the tournament format, points system, overtimes and standings at the 2026 World Championship (link)