Release from 18.05.2026

Austria opens World Championship with two wins | Slovenia stuns Czechia

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The opening weekend of the Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland is in the books – and from an Austrian perspective, it could hardly have gone any better. With victories over Great Britain (5:2) and Hungary (4:2), Team Austria climbed to the top of Group A. From a win2day ICE Hockey League perspective, Slovenia also delivered a major surprise by defeating ice hockey powerhouse Czechia 3:2 in overtime. Meanwhile, Italy and Hungary are still waiting for their first points of the tournament.

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Austria opened its campaign on Saturday with a 5:2 victory over Great Britain in Zurich and Fribourg. It was the perfect start the team had hoped for, with Benjamin Nissner (3’), Peter Schneider (7’, 27’), Paul Huber (10’) and Leon Wallner (34’) – all players from the win2day ICE Hockey League – finding the back of the net.

Just one day later, Austria faced Hungary in a matchup between two ICE nations – and once again Austria came out on top. EC-KAC forward Thimo Nickl scored twice in the 4:2 win, helping Austria secure the maximum number of points and move to the top of Group A in Zurich. Hungary had already suffered a 1:4 defeat against co-favorite Finland in its opening game.

Lucas Thaler after the win against Hungary:
“It was exactly what we expected. Hungary played a very tough game and we had to stay calm. It took us a little while to score our goals, but in the end we worked hard for this win. I think the core of our team is doing a really good job. We have great chemistry in the locker room and everyone is there for each other – you can really feel that. Of course, it felt good to take a 3:1 lead, but we know things can change quickly. We worked hard and deserved the win. It’s obviously great to start the tournament with two victories. Now we’ve achieved our first goal.”

Highlights AUT - HUN:



Slovenia shocks Czechia
Group B in Fribourg features the other two win2day ICE Hockey League nations, Slovenia and Italy. While promoted side Italy opened the tournament with expected defeats against record world champions Canada (0:6) and Slovakia (1:4), Slovenia kicked off its World Championship campaign with a stunning 3:2 overtime victory over Czechia.

Marcel Mahkovec of Olimpija Ljubljana scored the game-winning goal in overtime after Anže Kuralt of Hydro Fehérvár AV19 had tied the game 2:2 in the third period. Slovenia has therefore already collected two crucial points in the battle to avoid relegation. On Sunday, however, the Slovenians were unable to repeat their strong performance against Czechia and fell 0:4 to Norway.

Marcel Mahkovec after the win against Czechia:
“Everyone is happy about this win. For us, it’s confirmation that we can compete with every team. At the same time, it’s also a reward for everything we are investing into this tournament. We will continue to approach every game with the goal of winning. We know we are the underdogs, but if we leave our hearts on the ice, we can be successful.”

Marcel Mahkovec´game winner against Czechia: