Slovakia, Netherlands, and Poland won their respective Olympic qualifying groups to advance to the final round of qualification this February ahead of the 2026 Olympic Games.
Three European nations advanced this week through to the next round of Olympic Qualification tournaments in February.
Slovakia and Poland won qualification tournaments on home ice finishing atop their four team groups, while the Netherlands beat host Great Britain 1-0 in overtime in a deciding game from their group.
Slovakia rode an incredible performance from Nela Lopusanova who was making her senior national team debut. Lopusanova averaged six points per game and scored 11 goals and 18 points in three games. It included four goal performance, including one scored using the lacrosse-styles “Michigan” move in her first game.
Poland outscored their opponents 19-1 but also needed to win their third game against Korea for the chance to move on. Netminder Martyna Sass stopped all 32 shots she faced as Poland beat Korea 5-0 to advance.
In the closest qualification group, the Netherlands beat Great Britain 1-0 in overtime in a winner-advances matchup. With the game on the line, Dutch captain Savine Wielenga scored the overtime winner. Wielenga, 35, has been a member of the Netherlands’ senior national team for 17 years.
The final round of Olympic qualification will take place from February 6-9 with a trio of tournaments. They’ll take place in Sweden, Germany, and Japan.