UAA, Aces connections help Slovenia, Germany qualify for 2018 Olympic hockey

Former UAA defenseman Luka Vidmar on Sunday helped his native Slovenia qualify for the 2018 Olympic hockey tournament in South Korea and former Alaska Aces blueliner Daryl Boyle did the same for Germany.

Slovenia beat Belarus, 3-2 in a shootout to close group qualifying in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, with a 3-0 record. Vidmar, 30, who has long represented Slovenia in international competition, was plus-2 in three games.

Vidmar played at UAA from 2007-2011 before spending three seasons primarily in the ECHL, which includes the Aces. He also played six games in the American Hockey League. Vidmar played last season in Norway.

Belarus included former Aces winger Charles Linglet, aka Linger the Winger. The former NHLer played two seasons for the Aces (2003-05) and has played the last six seasons in the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League. The Canadian owns dual citizenship. Linglet furnished Belarus two assists and a plus-3 rating in three qualifying games.

Boyle, 29, is a Canadian who owns dual citizenship in Germany, where he has played the last five seasons in the DEL, that country's top circuit. Boyle on Sunday helped Germany beat Latvia 3-2 in Riga, Latvia's capital. He was plus-1 in three tournament games.

Boyle in 2011 helped the Aces to their second of their three Kelly Cups.

Norway on Sunday used a win over France to qualify for the 12-team Olympic tournament in 2018. The Olympic field will also feature Canada, the U.S., the Czech Republic, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, host South Korea and Slovakia.