Stayin´ alive! Last-minute goal keeps Slovaks in Division I, Brits relegated

Slovakia and Great Britain almost went right down to the end to decide who would remain in Division I and who would play in Division II next year. In the end, it was Filip Novák with his second goal of the game, who broke a 1-1 tie and scored the game-winner with just 28.1 seconds on the clock. Rob Shelton scored for Britain.

In the first game on the last day of the 2014 Inline Hockey World Championship, Slovakia faced Britain, with a place in the top division of next year´s tournament at stake. On paper, the Slovaks were the clear favourites. They´ve been perennial contenders in the top division for years, winning a silver and a bronze medal, while the Brits were the team that had just been promoted last year, and had been outscored 37-8 in their first five games.

However, it was Great Britain that opened the scoring in the third minute on a great solo effort by Rob Shelton, who carried the puck the length of the floor before firing home his team-leading fourth goal of the tournament.

For the rest of the first quarter, the Slovakian pressure got greater and greater as they looked for the equaliser, but Alex Birch stopped everything. In the last two minutes he robbed Peter Novajovsky from point-bland and then made a big glove save off Roman Simunek on a breakaway.

Birch continued to keep the Slovaks at bay in the second period, taking an almost sure goal from Filip Novak in the 17th minute, but just two minutes later, with the teams playing 3-on-3, Novak got revenge by making an incredible move to score on a forehand deke and tie the score. The Brits had a great chance to regain the lead shortly afterward on a 2-on-1 rush, but Philip Hamer was deflected high by a sliding Slovakian defenceman.

Both teams had chances to score in a scoreless third quarter. Novak, Slovakia´s most dangerous player of the game, nearly scored again but hit the goalpost. He would have to wait until later to get his second of the game and third of the tournament. The Brits put the puck into the net in the last minute of the quarter but it was waved off by the referee because there was a player in the goal crease.

The teams continued to trade chances in the fourth. Miroslav Preisinger had a great shorthanded chance for the Slovaks, then Sam Jones had a wide-open Karl Niamatali at the side of the net but elected to shoot and Vladimir Neumann stopped him, and then Juraj Prokop had a great chance right back at the other end but couldn´t finish. It looked like the game was headed to overtime.

But in the last minute, the Slovaks rushed up ice. Tomas Jasko, who assisted on the first Slovak goal, carried the puck down the right wing and sent a pass into the middle to Novak, whose quick shot eluded two sliding British defenders and beat Birch low to the glove side with just 28.1 seconds on the clock.

The Brits tried to launch one more attack, but couldn´t generate anything, and the Slovaks held on for the 2-1 win.