Defending champion Czech Republic prevailed in overtime to open the men’s ice hockey world championship with a 5-4 victory over Switzerland on Friday in a rematch of last year’s final.

Czechia began their title defense at the 2025 Ice Hockey World Championship with a dramatic 5–4 overtime win against Switzerland. The game, played in Stockholm as part of the Sweden-Denmark co-hosted tournament, was a rollercoaster of goals, missed chances, and special teams play.

Switzerland struck early, with Christian Marti opening the scoring just two minutes into the game. Later in the first period, David Pastrňák had a chance to level the score from a penalty shot but failed to convert. The miss proved costly when Damien Riat doubled the Swiss lead just 32 seconds later.

Czechia responded at the very end of the opening period. With a 5-on-3 power play opportunity, Matěj Stránský found the back of the net just 19 seconds before the buzzer, narrowing the deficit to 2–1.

The second period belonged to Radim Rulík’s squad. In the 27th minute, Filip Zadina tied the game with a confident finish. Just nine minutes later, Filip Pyrochta gave Czechia the lead with a sharp shot from the slot.

To byla jízda na úvod šampionátu, co říkáte? 💯

Navařili 👨‍🍳 jsme pětku gólových radostí a švýcarského hada setli v prodoužení!

🇨🇭⚔️🇨🇿 4:5p#SUICZE #MensWorlds #narodnitym #ceskyhokej pic.twitter.com/RBGJer6n64

— Český hokej (@czehockey) May 9, 2025

But Switzerland fought back in the third. Sandro Schmid scored a power play goal in the 42nd minute, and Sven Andrighetto added another at even strength in the 49th to make it 4–3 for the Swiss.

As the clock ticked down, Czechia pushed hard and finally capitalized on a late power play. With less than four minutes to go, Lukáš Sedlák tied the game at 4–4, forcing overtime.

The decisive moment came in extra time. Team captain Roman Červenka, who had already assisted twice during the game, delivered the winning goal, clinching a vital extra point in Group B standings.

Czechia’s next challenge comes on Sunday at 20:20, when they face Norway.

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