BEIJING, China — Seattle Thunderbird's Sam Knazko won bronze Saturday while competing for Slovakia in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
Slovakia won its first Olympic hockey medal in the nation’s history, defeating Sweden 4-0 to win.
Knazko, a 19-year-old defenseman for the Seattle Thunderbirds, competed for Slovakia, his home nation. He was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
In the final game against Sweden on Saturday, Slovakia's Juraj Slafovsky scored two goals for Slovakia. Slafkovsky at 17 is the youngest player in the tournament and leads all scorers with seven goals.
Slovakia is coached by Canada-born Craig Ramsay. Ramsay played 14 NHL seasons and was an assistant in the league for two decades.
The gold medal game between the Russian Olympic Committee and Finland is scheduled for 8 p.m. PST Saturday.
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