Hrivik’s Late Goal Lifts Slovakia Past Stubborn Norway in Group Stage Opener

Slovakia defeats Norway

Slovakia opened their campaign with a win after reaching the Olympic bronze medal game earlier this year.

Kristian Pospisil scored early for Slovakia, while Tinus Koblar equalized for Norway before Hrivik’s winner...

Slovakia opened their 2026 IIHF World Championships with a 2-1 win over Norway, with Marek Hrivik netting a late goal to break the deadlock and get their tournament off to a winning start on Day Two.

In the other early games in Switzerland, Austria jumped out to a fast start and beat Great Britain 5-2 in Group A.

Later today, Canada, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland are all set to play their pool stage matches.

After reaching the bronze medal game at the Olympics earlier this year, Slovakia came into the World Championships as a dark horse. They started well, with Kometa Brno forward Kristian Pospisil putting them ahead inside nine minutes against Norway.

Winning start for @HockeySlovakia! 👏🇸🇰 #MensWorlds

🔗 Game recap: https://t.co/Vl1DsD87Lq pic.twitter.com/WDwMGnE1Ub

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 16, 2026

But Slovakia looked sluggish in the first two periods, and Norway grew into it, matching them shot for shot. The Scandinavians were rewarded 13 seconds before the second period ended when Tinus Koblar’s shot slipped under goalie Samuel Hlavaj’s leg.

Slovakia regained control midway through the third period when Marek Hrivik turned one home to seal the win.