We saw all teams in action on day 4 in Rakovnik. The teams played their last pool game.
Russia v Wales 6-2
The first match of the day was between Russia and Wales. Russia had played some great hockey throughout the tournament and they were the favourites of this match. In the 10th minute LAGONA opened the score for the Russian team. Russia was the better team in the three first quarters of the game. The score was 4-o after three quarters. Wales pushed back in the last quarter and scored two goals. The final score was 6-2, with GUBAIDULLINA scoring a hattrick.
Lithuania v Scotland 0-6
Scotland faced Lithuania in the second game of the day. Scotland opened the score with an early goal from JONES in the 4th minute. At halftime, the score was already 4-o in favour of the Scottish team. The final score was 6-0. DARK also scored a hattrick for her team. Scotland has shown they are the favourites of this tournament with some skilful players and good team combinations.
Poland v Austria 0-2
In the early afternoon, Poland played against Austria for a place in the semi-final. The match was very balanced with chances on both sides. At the start of the third quarter, Austria finally opened the score, which dropped the pressure on the team. After the first goal, Austria dominated the rest of the game and increased their lead to win 2-0.
Italy v Czech Republic 2-3
The last match was between the host, Czech Republic, and Italy. During the first half of the game, the Czech team did not dare to play their game. The score was 1-1 at halftime. Italy took the lead in the 50th minute. The locals reacted after their second goal against and started to put high pressure on the Italian defence. Their effort was rewarded as they scored two goals in a row with a few minutes left on the clock. The Czech team kept their advantage on the scoreboard until the end of the game. The final score was 3-2 in favour of the Czech team. The locals are top of Pool B with three wins and 9 points.
Pool A:
Scotland 9 points
Russia 6 points
Wales 3 points
Lithuania 0 point
Pool B:
Czech Republic 9 points
Austria 6 points
Poland 3 points
Italy 0 point
Today, teams from pool C – Poland, Wales, Italy and Lithuania – will fight to keep their spot in the second division. The lowest ranked team of Pool C will be relegated to EuroHockey Championship III.
The semi-finals will be played during the afternoon. Scotland will take on Austria and the local team will face Russia for a spot in the final. All games are being streamed on www.eurohockeytv.org.