Czech ice hockey player breaks tournament record with goal inside 10 seconds

A Czech female hockey player broke a tournament record after scoring a goal at the under-18 women’s hockey World Championships over the weekend. 

Adéla Šapovalivová scored the record-breaking goal on the way to Czechia’s 6:3 victory over Slovakia to finish in 5th place at the tournament. It is officially the fastest-ever goal in the under-18 World Championships. It had incorrectly been credited to a different Czech player by the Twitter account of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

The Czech women’s team matched their 2022 result in the tournament – between 2015 and 2020 the squad finished outside the top five. The team’s best result in the annual tournament is third place, achieved in 2014 and 2008. 

This tournament, held in Östersund, Sweden, saw the Czech team top their group in the preliminary round, beating Slovakia, Switzerland, and Japan. 

The team then lost a narrow game to Finland in the tournament quarterfinals. The eventual winners were Canada, who have won the second-highest amount of under-18 women’s hockey World Championships.

Despite the on-court rivalry between Czechia and Slovakia, the end of the match saw a nice gesture between both countries. Players from both teams formed one circle and sang the famous anthem "Příběh nekončí."

Czech women’s hockey has been impressive in recent years: the national women’s team finished third in the 2022 World Championships held in August and September – its best-ever result. In the same year, the national team made its debut appearance at the Winter Olympics. 

The national women’s squad also scored its highest win – 16:0 – against Poland in November 2021.

The Czech national women’s team is ranked sixth in the IIHF world rankings, recently moving up one position after its strong showing. Domestically, the most successful women's ice hockey club in Czechia is HC Slavia Praha, with 10 national league titles.

The under-18 national team will now have its eyes on the 2024 World Championship, which will take place in January 2024. As for the women’s team, the World Championship takes place in less than three months in Canada.

Despite not winning in the World Championships, the Czech women's recent strong results provide cause for optimism in the near future.