The final quarterfinal game of the day came to an end with a thrill-filled overtime ending. Sweden is coming off a dominant regulation round that only saw them concede four goals in four games before taking on Switzerland, a team that had a rocky regulation round but is tough to play against. The Swedes mainly controlled the entire game, but the Swiss fought back. Their push wasn’t strong enough to hold off Sweden’s offense, and they lost in overtime, closing their 2024 World Junior Championship.
The Swedes faced a tough challenge against the Swiss team. The game was intense and went into overtime, the second OT game of the day. The Swiss forwards had a few close looks, and the Swedes seemed nervous. However, with Rodwin Dionicio in the penalty box, Axel Sandin Pellikka seized the opportunity. He took a point shot through the traffic and beat Alessio Beglieri, helping the Swedes avoid a major upset. For the Swiss, many points came back to issues in past games. Let’s review some notes from their loss and elimination from the tournament.
Unable to Jump Out Of The Gate Quickly
For the second straight game in a row, the Swiss were down early in the first, letting in two goals in the first while being unable to drive any offense. Switzerland spent much of the first period defending, limited by a strong defense, being outshot 10 to 4, and having to play Sweden’s game pace. Sweden took an early lead when Otto Stenberg deflected Mattias Havelid’s shot from the point at 1:34. Jonathan Lekkerimaki then scored a power-play goal at 18:00 to double their advantage.
Though they managed to come hot in the second and the rest of the game, it wasn’t enough. Jan Hornecker scored a goal with less than three minutes in the second period, bringing the score to 2-1. However, when it seemed like the Swedish team would come out of the game primarily unscathed, the Swiss team responded.
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At 49 minutes and 10 seconds, defenseman Nick Meile scored and tied the game 2-2 by taking advantage of the traffic in front of the Swedish goaltender, Hugo Havelid. The Swiss were unable to find the comeback they needed after a push and ended up getting outshot 33-18 by the end of the game.
The Alesso Beglieri Story Comes To An End
What a WJC it was for Beglieri, a goaltender going into this tournament with much learning to do and little experience playing in it. He was a standout factor in each game he played, helping Switzerland stay in the game. Whether it be a lack of offense or defensive mistakes leading to turnovers and high-danger chances, Beglieri stood tall (for being a relatively short goalie). Stopping 30 shots out of 33, he did all he could to hold the fort down when Switzerland was down and gave them hope when they tied it up to secure a lead.
Related: 2024 Guide to the World Junior Championship
He let in an early goal from Stenberg, but after that, he was almost perfect for the rest of the game. He could not do anything about the goal on the power play, as Lekkerimaki has a really good shot. The game could have easily been 4-0 in the second period, but he managed to keep his team in the game all night. Belglieri ended the tournament with four games started, a 90.65 save percentage, and a 2.47 goals-against average — the stats you want from your goaltender.
Switzerland’s Lack of Discipline Cost the Game
After losing but playing a clean game against Czechia, where they only had two penalties the entire contest, the Swiss’ disciplined ways got undone. They totaled six penalties, one that cost them the game. Like the call or not, the call against Dionico was a hooking and led to the game-winning goal. That was especially true with a penalty before the end of the third that was initially called “spearing” but was reviewed and overturned to slashing. That saw Sweden end the third with a flurry of chances and start over time with a brief man advantage.
While they were able to kill three of the five penalties that were called, the game started the same way it ended: a power-play goal to end the first to help give the Swedes momentum, finishing the first and heading into the second and a power-play goal to lose some momentum in overtime and give the Swedes the game.
Closing the Curtains
Switzerland’s run came to an early end for them in this year’s World Junior Championship, as they will finish and head home with a seventh-place finish after winning just one game out of five. They flashed great potential with this team, especially with how reliable their goaltending was. Still, a lack of offense and poor defensive mistakes tend to be significant issues with this team. They look to return stronger with more prospects next year in Ottawa for the 2025 tournament.