Slovakia U20 vs Czech Republic U20

The game began at breakneck pace. Slovakia struck first through Jakub Floriš (assisted by Tomík) inside the opening minute — 1–0 after just 60 seconds. But Czechia responded quickly: Adam Novotný scored twice in four minutes (6', 10'), both set up by Benák, flipping the score to 1–2.

Timothy Kazda pulled Slovakia level at 2–2 in the 17th minute (assists: Kalman, Nemec), and the first intermission arrived with the scoreboard reading 2–2.

The second period belonged entirely to Czechia. Tobiáš Vehovský restored the Czech lead at 26:16 (assist: Frolo). Then came the decisive sequence: Vojtěch Čihař scored from Poletín and Pšenička at 29:30; Dominik Řípa made it 2–5 at 30:33 (Fasner, Macek); and Vashek Blanár added a sixth at 31:29 (Benák, Pšenička) — three goals in 2:30. Czechia led 2–6 at the second break.

Slovakia's discipline unravelled. Kazda received a five-minute major and game misconduct for high sticking at 33:10. Tomáš Chrenko followed with a game misconduct at 39:41 for an off-the-ball incident. The hosts gave up 10 penalties in total to Czechia's three.

Samuel Murín gave Slovakia brief hope at 43:36 (assist: Nemec), cutting the deficit to 3–6. But Czechia reasserted control: Adam Benák (50:40, PP, assists: Nestrašil, Dravecký), Václav Nestrašil (54:14, assists: Dravecký, Vaněček) and Čihař with his second of the night (55:37, assist: Pšenička) completed the scoring at 3–9.

Čihař's goal at 29:30 — a composed finish from the left circle after Pšenička and Poletín worked the puck across the zone — triggered a 2:30 avalanche of three Czech strikes. Slovakia, within one goal at 2–3 moments earlier, found themselves facing a 2–6 deficit before the second intermission. The bench timeout called at 30:33 did not stem the tide.

• Adam Benák (Czech Republic U20) — 1 goal, 3 assists. Four-point night extended his tournament-leading tally. Orchestrated the Czech power play and set the tone in transitions.

• Vojtěch Čihař (Czech Republic U20) — 2 goals. Clinical finishing from the left circle bookended a dominant Czech offensive display.

• Adam Novotný (Czech Republic U20) — 2 goals inside four first-period minutes, flipping Slovakia's dream start into a deficit.

• Timothy Kazda (Slovakia U20) — 1 goal, but a five-minute major and game misconduct for high sticking at 33:10 effectively ended Slovakia's chance of a comeback.

The 9–3 scoreline reflects a chasm in discipline and special teams. Czechia converted 3 of 10 power-play opportunities; Slovakia managed 1 from 3. The penalty count — 10 conceded by Slovakia to 3 by Czechia — tells the story of a game where Slovakia lost control in the middle frame. Czechia outscored Slovakia 4–0 in the second period despite the game being tied after 20 minutes.

The result leaves Czechia as the only unbeaten team at the Five Nations Tournament with 3 wins from 3 games (9 points). Slovakia drop to 2 wins from 3 (4–5 points). The tournament continues through the weekend with no confirmed next fixture for either side at the time of writing.

Czechia have now won 22 of 29 H2H meetings against Slovakia U20 since 2013. The 9–3 margin is the largest since Czechia's 10–2 win in August 2025.

A competitive derby for 25 minutes became a one-sided demolition once Czechia found their rhythm. Slovakia's inability to stay out of the penalty box against a well-drilled Czech power play turned a tight contest into a rout. Benák's four-point performance underlined the gap in execution between these two programmes at this stage of preparation.