NOTEBOOK : Victory Over Canada Gives No. 12 Slovakia a Confidence Boost

With each game, the Slovakian hockey team experiences a new thrill.

Again making mockery of its 12th-place seeding, Slovakia on Saturday rode its rugged defensive play and the goaltending of Eduard Hartmann to an emotional 3-1 victory over Canada.

Peter Stastny set the clinching goal in motion for Slovakia (2-0-2) when he intercepted a pass in the Slovakian zone and got the puck to Jergus Baca, who passed to Jozef Dano for a short-handed, empty-net goal with 11 seconds to play.

“Canada is considered the paradise of hockey,” Stastny said. “It produces the best hockey teams in the world, so when you play them there is always a little inferiority (complex). That inspires you to produce and perform better and get the maximum from your potential.

“For Slovakia to beat Canada for the first time in the Olympics, that will go in history and stay there.”

Canada (2-1-1) took the lead 66 seconds into the game when Paul Kariya backhanded a shot over Hartmann.

The goal was Kariya’s first in the Olympics, after three assists.

“I’ve hear people say he’s been pressing, but he shouldn’t,” said Pierre Gauthier, the Ducks’ assistant general manager and an interested spectator Saturday with GM Jack Ferreira. “What he does here won’t change what we think of him. I’m sure he’s pressing because he’s a young kid in his first Olympics, but we really love the kid.”

Slovakia rebounded on goals by Dano off a breakaway at 17:13 of the first period, and a power-play goal from the blue line by Robert Svehla at 3:27 of the second period.

“I would call them a dark horse, but they’re better than a dark horse,” Canadian Coach Tom Renney said. “Just continue to watch that team. They’re a good hockey club.”

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Mike Eruzione, captain of the gold medal-winning 1980 U.S. Olympic team and now a CBS analyst, thinks the U.S. team is in good shape despite its need to tie or win against Italy on Monday to make the medal round.

“It shouldn’t be a problem. I still think this is a good U.S. hockey team, and I wouldn’t want to play them in the first round if I were Finland,” he said. “I think the two best teams are Sweden and Slovakia, but the U.S. played very well against Sweden (Saturday) night.”