Czech U18 team falls 4:6 to USA at Gretzky Cup in Edmonton after dramatic third-period comeback bid

The Czech Republic's U18 national team lost 4:6 to the United States in a group-stage match at the Glinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton, despite having trailed by as many as four goals at one point in the second period.

The Czechs came out strong, hit the post early and earned a power play, but in the 10th minute a defensive turnover let Cullen slip the puck past goaltender Martínek to put the Americans on the board first. Less than four minutes later, Burkart doubled the US lead off a precise setup from Rehder. Indiscipline from the opponents played into the Czechs' hands, though, as defenceman Kahlíř converted a third straight power play to make it 1:2.

The second period turned into a nightmare for the Czech side. While still shorthanded, Burkart broke away down the left flank to score his second of the game, making it 3:1. Then, in the 25th minute, Rooney caught Martínek off guard with a soft shot, prompting an immediate goaltending change to Štěpánek. But the swap didn't help — just 24 seconds after stepping onto the ice, Štěpánek was beaten again, with another defensive lapse setting up the goal.

Coach Jaroslav Nedvěd called a timeout to try to settle his team and rebuild their confidence, and it seemed to work — 67 seconds later, Gombár narrowed the gap with a shot from the blue line. But in the 35th minute, Burkart completed his hat-trick to make it 6:2.

The Czechs refused to give up and raised the intensity in the third period. In the 49th minute, Kahlíř finished off a solo rush to cut the deficit to 3:6, and a minute and a half later Němec scored the Czechs' fourth goal. At that point, it was the US coach's turn to call a timeout, demanding tighter defence from his players.

The Americans managed to hold firm for a while, but with three minutes left they were caught shorthanded again, giving the Czechs a golden opportunity to level the score in a 6-on-4 situation. However, the USA held on for the win, closing out the match 4:6.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz