Czechia brought Hungary right back down from their Day 1 bliss. The Hungarians had upset Germany but fell heavily as Czechia opened their World Championship run with a thumping 7-1 win in Group B.
The Czechs will want to continue on their roll on Saturday as they take on the hosts Denmark. On their end, Hungary will have a day off to try to shake off the loss.
Still dizzy from a crushing 10-0 loss to the United States the night before, Japan had to hop back on the ice to face Switzerland in Group A.
The Japanese held their heads high, gave the Swiss a tougher challenge and found their first goal of the tournament ultimately but fell in back-to-back games. The young squad will have another steep challenge ahead of them with their next matchup against Canada.
After struggling with their power play units to start the game, Switzerland opened their tournament with a 3-1 win. The country's two stars, Lara Stalder and Alina Muller, set each other up for their team's first two goals.
3rd Star: Lara Stalder, Switzerland
With her tally, Stalder became the all-time Swiss leading scorer at the World Championship, passing veteran Christine Meier with 27 points.
The University of Minnesota-Duluth grad combined with young Swiss star Alina Muller to confirm the feat. The Swiss captain made her way behind the net and found Muller alone in the slot. Muller confirmed the goal with a one-timer.
2nd Star: Alina Muller, Switzerland
Muller isn’t one of the most skilled players in the world for nothing. When she has the puck, blueliners are on their guard.
She used her reputation to break the ice for the Swiss in their tournament opener. In possession of the puck, she dragged Japanese defenders to her end, opening up the entire left side. Muller sent the puck over to Lara Stalder and the captain notched the easy one-timer in an open net.
Muller will want to make the most of her tournament. The Northeastern graduate player had missed the end of last year's edition due to an ankle injury in which the Swiss fell to Finland in the bronze-medal game.
1st Star: Adela Sapovalivova, Czechia
Just 16, Sapovalivova is the youngest player of the tournament, playing with and against adult women. In her first game, she picked up her first senior goal for the national team and added a second late in the game.
The winger has two eligibility years left for the under-18 tournament and yet she is already making eyebrows raise and heads spin in the senior event. She gave the Czechs a 6-1 lead by zooming through the Hungarians and beating the netminder with a wrister.
Sapovalivova needs one more goal to tie her goal-scoring tally of three from the world under-18 championship earlier this summer. She finished second in points of the youth tournament with three goals and six assists in five games.
