WJC Three Stars Day 5: Pair of Blues step up for Slovakia

The penultimate day of preliminary round play at the 2025 World Junior Championship featured just two games: Slovakia versus Kazakhstan and Germany against Latvia.

Slovakia claimed the day’s first game 5-4 after Kazakhstan mounted a third-period comeback to force overtime, securing their first point of the tournament through three games.

With Slovakia’s fourth game of the tournament in the books, the team wraps up the preliminary round with one regulation win, one overtime win and two losses, earning five points to place third in Group B standings behind Czechia and Sweden, who will clash on New Year’s Eve for the top spot.

The Slovaks started Monday’s game strong, netting three unanswered goals in the first period before Kazakhstan managed to get their first on the board two minutes into the second frame. After having their lead trimmed down to one, Slovakia restored their three-goal cushion with another tally about halfway through the period. 

Kazakhstan, however, wasn’t done yet, finding the net again to beat Slovakia’s Samuel Urban for the second time with less than four minutes remaining in the second. In the third period, what would have been Kazakhstan’s third goal was immediately waved off and confirmed as disallowed after review due to what the referees ruled a kicking motion on the puck. 

But another review was required after Kazakhstan’s Assanali Sarkenov crosschecked Slovakia’s Frantisek Dej in the face, earning him a five-minute major and game misconduct. While the extended power play seemed like the ideal chance for the Slovaks to seal the game with another goal — or even a few — it was Kazakhstan who capitalized, scoring twice shorthanded. They stripped the puck on two separate occasions, converting both into breakaway goals and ultimately forcing overtime.

Tied 4-4 in extra time, Slovak defenceman Maxim Strbak played hero for his country. With just over two minutes remaining before a shootout would be necessary, Strkbak received a pass up ice, raced towards the Kazakhstan net alone, and fired a sharp wrist shot to seal the win.

The second game also went to overtime, though one team had technically already lost before the final result. Sitting at the bottom of Group A, Germany needed a regulation win to secure all three points and keep their playoff hopes alive. 

However, with two points already from their shootout win over Canada, Latvia clinched safety as soon as Monday’s game extended past regulation, ensuring Germany would play in the relegation game instead. Latvia then sealed the 4-3 victory in overtime anyway.

The matchup between Germany and Latvia started off quietly, aside from German forward Simon Seidl scoring off the faceoff just 19 seconds in against a Latvian side that initially seemed unprepared to compete. Germany then extended their lead later in the second period with a goal from captain Edwin Tropmann.

But, less than a minute later, Latvia finally beat German goaltender Linus Viellard to cut the lead in half. In the third period, they managed to tie the game, and from there, things started to get much more lively. After a risky decision by the Germans to pull their goalie while already on the power play, Latvia scored an empty-net goal to take their first lead of the game.

And just as one started to wonder to themselves if Latvia could hold on from there, Germany responded a mere 20 seconds later to tie things up again. The Germans subsequently made a frantic push to find another goal and keep their playoff hopes alive, but as the final seconds ticked away, the score remained deadlocked. The buzzer dashed those hopes, and in overtime, Latvia’s Eriks Mateiko had the decisive goal.

Here are the three stars from Day 5 of the World Juniors. 

3rd star: Kazakhstan's effort as a whole

The Kazakhstan team deserves overall credit for their effort against Slovakia.

As already noted above, forcing overtime earned them their first point of the tournament, but the game also saw them allow their fewest goals while scoring their most so far. Kazakhstan’s two previous results were blowout losses — an 8-1 defeat at the hands of Sweden and a 14-2 takedown by Czechia.

And their two shorthanded snipes — scored by Davlat Nurkenov and Kirill Lyapunov – during Slovakia’s five-minute power play might go down as the highlight of the tournament. While already entertaining and relatively close, the game became must-watch hockey at that point due to the unexpected turn of events.

Because of their single point earned Monday, Kazakhstan now needs either a regulation win or an overtime win over the currently pointless Switzerland on Tuesday to avoid finishing last in Group B and having to play in the regulation round. It would be a disappointing setback for the country to return to Division I-A for 2026 after just being promoted.

2nd star: Olivers Murnieks, Latvia

The 16-year-old Latvian had his best game of the tournament against Germany, showcasing both skill and composure under pressure.

Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, Murnieks recorded secondary assists on each of Latvia’s first two goals before making a heads-up play to ice the puck after winning the faceoff in his own end. The ensuing empty-netter came at a crucial point for Latvia, with Germany desperately pushing with two extra skaters at the time. His three points marked his first-ever at the world juniors.

Beyond his offensive contributions, Murnieks' overall game stood out on Monday, as he played a key role in the defensive zone, notably making crucial shot blocks in the final moments of the third period to help preserve his team’s chances. 

Murnieks currently plays for the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, where he has 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in 25 games this season. Luckily for Latvia, he still has multiple years of eligibility left in the tournament, and it will be interesting to see if he steps up once again on Tuesday as the team looks to edge out Finland for third place in Group A.

1st stars: Dalibor Dvorsky and Juraj Pekarcik, Slovakia 

Two Slovak St. Louis Blues prospects left their mark all over Monday’s game against Kazakhstan, each tallying two goals and two assists.

Dvorsky, Slovakia’s 19-year-old captain, opened the scoring eight minutes into the contest with a slick backhand shot that he roofed past netminder Vladimir Nikitin. Just five minutes later, he notched his second of the game, firing another quick shot from the top of the circle after a rush opportunity that Pekarcik largely orchestrated.  

Pekarcik, also 19, then scored Slovakia’s third and fourth goals — a power-play marker with eight seconds left in the first period and his own roofed backhand in the second — with Dvorsky earning the primary assist on both.

Currently playing in his fourth world juniors, Dvorsky’s four points in this game brought his tournament total to seven, adding to the goal and assist he had accumulated over Slovakia’s first three games. He leads his team in points and sits tied for first tournament-wide, alongside two players from Czechia and one from Sweden.

Meanwhile, this marks Pekarcik’s second time playing at the world juniors, and he had registered just one point in this year’s tournament before Monday’s game. Receiving player of the game recognition for his efforts, Pekarcik also made the pass to Strbak in overtime that led to the game-winner. 

Pekarcik and Dvorsky were both drafted by St. Louis in 2023 — with Dvorsky selected 10th overall and Pekarcik going 76th. Both players have since signed three-year, entry-level contracts.

Dvorsky, playing for the Blues' AHL affiliate the Springfield Thunderbirds, has a respectable 21 points (11 goals and 10 assists) in 27 games this season, his first as a pro in North America. Pekarcik, still playing in juniors with the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats, has accumulated 35 points (12 goals and 23 points) through 29 games this season.