MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — No matter what comes of Slovakia at these 2026 Winter Olympic men’s hockey league games, St. Louis Blues coach Jim Montgomery knows he has a player there that could be galvanized by his play.
Dalibor Dvorsky, a first-round pick (No. 10) in the 2023 NHL Draft, had a goal and an assist for the Slovaks, who continue to defy the odds and reached Friday’s semifinal with a 6-2 thumping of Germany in quarterfinal play at Santagiulia IHO Arena in Milan, Italy on Wednesday.
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The center now is up to six points (three goals, three assists) in four games for Slovakia, which awaits its opponent pending the result of USA-Sweden’s game on Wednesday.
Dvorsky would score Sloivakia’s fourth goal:
His tournament has been quite impressive.
“It can catapult his confidence,” Montgomery said of Dvorsky. “To do this on the world stage in the Olympics, it’s one of the biggest events you can ever do it. It’s like seeing a player do it not only in the NHL playoffs but also the American (Hockey) League. It gives you the confidence that you know how to stay in the moment, how to execute in the moment, and how to come through in big moments. And when you’re a gifted player like Dvorsky is, this gives you the confidence that you can do it. That’s a big mental hurdle to achieve.”
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Dvorsky was a plus-1 with three shots on goal in 14:03 of ice time in the game Wednesday.
* Finland 3, Switzerland 2, OT — It was a tough ending for Pius Suter and the Swiss players in their quarterfinal matchup when they led 2-0 late in the third period before succumbing late, ultimately losing when Artturi Lehkonen (Colorado Avalanche) won it in overtime for the Finns.
Suter had an assist on a Nino Niederreiter (Winnipeg Jets) goal that gave Switzerland a 2-0 lead in the first period but couldn’t hold it.
Suter, who finished the tournament with two goals and an assist in four games, played 15:31 and was a minus-2 in the game.
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