17. february 2010 / BANGED-UP SLOVAKIA EXCITED TO FACE NEIGHBOR

For the Czechs, there are bigger and better rivals these days -- a Russian bear to tangle with on Rivalry Sunday five days from now. For the Slovaks, this could well be their gold-medal game.

Four years ago, Slovakia stunningly went 5-0-0 in pool play. Then it met the Czechs in the quarterfinals, and a 3-1 Czech victory abruptly, bitterly ended the Slovaks' medal hopes. Yet again, their bigger, richer former countrymen proved dominant at a pivotal moment.

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