Kazakhstan goaltender Tanirkhan Alpysbayev was under siege for much of the game against Switzerland and did his best to keep his team in the game.
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Chris Tanouye
Tanirkhan Alpysbayev did his part and then some. Unfortunately for Kazakhstan, it wasn’t quite enough as the Kazakhs dropped their opener at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship 5-2 to Switzerland.
Following an opening period in which the Kazakhs jumped out to a 2-0 lead, it appeared that hockey fans in Finland were about to witness a massive upset at this event. But the Swiss came on in the second and then kept coming, storming into the Kazakh zone, peppering Alpysbayev with shot after shot until they were rewarded.
In the end, the Kazakhs couldn’t handle the onslaught, which totalled 43 Swiss shots to Kazakhstan’s 17.
The eventual game-winning goal came off the stick of Noe Tarchini at 3:28 of the third period. Swiss defender Gian Meier, who had a whale of a game on the blueline with three points, fired a nice low shot at the Kazakh net and, though Alpysbayev turned it away, Tarchini pounced on the rebound and wasted little time in burying the puck and giving Switzerland a 3-2 lead.
Later in the frame, Jordan Forget finished a pretty three-way Swiss passing play when he took a feed from Meier and lifted a fantastic backhander over Alpysbayev to make it 4-2. Leon Muggli finished the scoring late in the third.
The opening 40 minutes was a tale of two periods, with the Kazakhs owning the first and the Swiss coming back in the second.
The opening goal of the game came on a Swiss turnover it is own end that ended with Kazakhstan’s Aristarkh Kireyev jamming in a puck from inside the crease.
At 9:36 of the second, the Kazakhs entered the Swiss zone on a harmless-looking 3-on-3. But Artur Glukhikh crossed the blueline and quickly made a nice backhand pass to Abzal Alibek, who quickly snapped the puck past Swiss goalie Phileas Lachat.
In the second, Switzerland cut into the Kazakh two-goal lead at 7:23 on a beautiful wrist shot from the point from Meier. Meier’s shot somehow found its way through a collection of bodies parked in front of Alpysbayev.
The Swiss tied it 2-2 when Kimi Koerbler was gifted a pass from a Kazakh defender in the Kazakh end and wired a snapshot over the shoulder of Alpysbayev.
Alpysbayev made a number of great saves late in the second as a tired Kazakh team was hemmed in their own end for what seemed like an eternity.
Kazakhstan will face off against Sweden on Saturday, while the Swiss have an off day to prepare for a game against Canada on Sunday.
Following an opening period in which the Kazakhs jumped out to a 2-0 lead, it appeared that hockey fans in Finland were about to witness a massive upset at this event. But the Swiss came on in the second and then kept coming, storming into the Kazakh zone, peppering Alpysbayev with shot after shot until they were rewarded.
In the end, the Kazakhs couldn’t handle the onslaught, which totalled 43 Swiss shots to Kazakhstan’s 17.
The eventual game-winning goal came off the stick of Noe Tarchini at 3:28 of the third period. Swiss defender Gian Meier, who had a whale of a game on the blueline with three points, fired a nice low shot at the Kazakh net and, though Alpysbayev turned it away, Tarchini pounced on the rebound and wasted little time in burying the puck and giving Switzerland a 3-2 lead.
Later in the frame, Jordan Forget finished a pretty three-way Swiss passing play when he took a feed from Meier and lifted a fantastic backhander over Alpysbayev to make it 4-2. Leon Muggli finished the scoring late in the third.
The opening 40 minutes was a tale of two periods, with the Kazakhs owning the first and the Swiss coming back in the second.
The opening goal of the game came on a Swiss turnover it is own end that ended with Kazakhstan’s Aristarkh Kireyev jamming in a puck from inside the crease.
At 9:36 of the second, the Kazakhs entered the Swiss zone on a harmless-looking 3-on-3. But Artur Glukhikh crossed the blueline and quickly made a nice backhand pass to Abzal Alibek, who quickly snapped the puck past Swiss goalie Phileas Lachat.
In the second, Switzerland cut into the Kazakh two-goal lead at 7:23 on a beautiful wrist shot from the point from Meier. Meier’s shot somehow found its way through a collection of bodies parked in front of Alpysbayev.
The Swiss tied it 2-2 when Kimi Koerbler was gifted a pass from a Kazakh defender in the Kazakh end and wired a snapshot over the shoulder of Alpysbayev.
Alpysbayev made a number of great saves late in the second as a tired Kazakh team was hemmed in their own end for what seemed like an eternity.
Kazakhstan will face off against Sweden on Saturday, while the Swiss have an off day to prepare for a game against Canada on Sunday.