2008 IIHF World Championship Schedule

[Terry]

Preliminary Schedule
Date Team Team Time (ET) Group Venue Score

Fri, May 2 Denmark Czech Republic 1pm D Le Colisee Pepsi 2 - 5
Canada Slovenia 3:30pm B Halifax Metro Centre 5 - 1
Russia Italy 7pm D Le Colisee Pepsi 7 - 1
USA Latvia 7:15pm B Halifax Metro Centre 4 - 0

Sat, May 3 Belarus Sweden 1pm A Le Colisee Pepsi 5 - 6
Germany Finland 3:30pm C Halifax Metro Centre 1 - 5
Switzerland France 7pm A Le Colisee Pepsi 4 - 1
Slovakia Norway 7:15pm C Halifax Metro Centre 5 - 1

Sun, May 4 Czech Republic Russia 1pm D Le Colisee Pepsi 4 - 5 (OT)
Latvia Canada 3:30pm B Halifax Metro Centre 0 - 7
Italy Denmark 7pm D Le Colisee Pepsi 2 - 6
USA Slovenia 7:15pm B Halifax Metro Centre 5 - 1

Mon, May 5 Switzerland Belarus 1pm A Le Colisee Pepsi 2 - 1
Finland Norway 3:30pm C Halifax Metro Centre 3 - 2 (OT)
Sweden France 7pm A Le Colisee Pepsi 9 - 0
Slovakia Germany 7:15pm C Halifax Metro Centre 2 - 4

Tue, May 6 Russia Denmark 1pm D Le Colisee Pepsi 4 - 1
Canada USA 3:30pm B Halifax Metro Centre 5 - 4
Czech Republic Italy 7pm D Le Colisee Pepsi 7 - 2
Slovenia Latvia 7:15pm B Halifax Metro Centre 0 - 3

Wed, May 7 Sweden Switzerland 1pm A Le Colisee Pepsi 2 - 4
Finland Slovakia 3:30pm C Halifax Metro Centre 3 - 2
France Belarus 7pm A Le Colisee Pepsi 1 - 3
Norway Germany 7:15pm C Halifax Metro Centre 3 - 2

Qualification and Relegation Schedule
Date Team Team Time (ET) Group Venue Score

hu, May 8 Sweden Denmark 3pm E Le Colisee Pepsi 8 - 1
Canada Norway 3:30pm F Halifax Metro Centre 2 - 1
Switzerland Czech Republic 7pm E Le Colisee Pepsi 0 - 5
USA Germany 7:15pm F Halifax Metro Centre 6 - 4

Fri, May 9 Finland Latvia 11:30am F Halifax Metro Centre 2 - 1
Russia Belarus 1pm E Le Colisee Pepsi 4 -3 (SO)
Slovenia Slovakia 3:30pm Rel. Halifax Metro Centre 1 - 5
France Italy 7:15pm Rel. Le Colisee Pepsi 3 - 2

Sat, May 10 Czech Republic Belarus 12:30pm E Le Colisee Pepsi 3 - 2 (SO)
Germany Canada 3:30pm F Halifax Metro Centre 1 - 10
Russia Sweden 4:30pm E Le Colisee Pepsi 3 - 2
Slovakia Slovenia 7:15pm Rel. Halifax Metro Centre 4 - 3
Italy France 7:15pm Rel. Le Colisee Pepsi 4 - 6

Sun, May 11 Norway Latvia 11:30am F Halifax Metro Centre 1 - 4
Denmark Switzerland 1pm E Le Colisee Pepsi 2 - 7
Finland USA 3:30pm F Halifax Metro Centre 3 - 2
Sweden Czech Republic 7pm E Le Colisee Pepsi 5 - 3

Mon, May 12 USA Norway 11:30am F Halifax Metro Centre 9 - 1
Switzerland Russia 1pm E Le Colisee Pepsi 3 - 5
Canada Finland 3:30pm F Halifax Metro Centre 6 - 3
Belarus Denmark 7pm E Le Colisee Pepsi 2 - 3
Latvia Germany 7:15pm F Halifax Metro Centre 3 - 5

Wed, May 14 Czech Republic Sweden 1pm QF Le Colisee Pepsi 2 - 3 (OT)
Canada Norway 3:30pm QF Halifax Metro Centre 8 - 2
Russia Switzerland 7:15pm QF Le Colisee Pepsi 6 - 0
Finland USA 7:15pm QF Halifax Metro Centre 3 - 2 (OT)

Fri, May 16 Russia Finland 1pm SF Le Colisee Pepsi 4 - 0
Canada Sweden 5pm SF Le Colisee Pepsi 5 - 4

Sat, May 17 Finland Sweden 3pm Bronze Le Colisee Pepsi -

Sun, May 18 Russia Canada 1pm Gold Le Colisee Pepsi -

[Terry]

Czechs breeze over Denmark

Game recap: Despite Denmark’s early goal the Czech Republic grabs a comfortable 5-2 win.
02-05-08

QUEBEC CITY — Often coaches tell the media that their game plan against a strong opponent is based on getting an early lead and then defending it. Wouldn’t it be better to get the lead as late as possible so that there’d be as little time as possible to defend it?

That’s what it looked like in the World Championship opening game between Denmark and the Czech Republic. Denmark got the best possible start, scoring on Milan Hnilicka on their first attack, on the first shot of the game, after just 31 seconds when Stefan Lassen’s slapshot from the blueline found its way to the back of the net on Hlinicka’s glove side.

"We had a bad start to the game, getting scored on the first shift. But we didn’t want to panic. We have a good team and we knew we could turn it around," said Radim Vrbata.

While the Czech lion didn’t excactly come roaring after that, it sure was awake.

About halfway through the first period, the Czechs had killed a Danish powerplay, and went on attack. Martin Hanzal got the puck behind the net, and sent it - between his legs - to Radim Vrbata who beat veteran goalie Peter Hirsch who is guarding the Danish goal in his ninth World Championship.

Five minutes later, Ales Kotalik stole the puck by the boards, drove to the net and beat the left-handed Hirsch on his glove side to give the Czechs the lead for the first time.

And then the Czechs went back to sleep mode.

One bad bounce off the boards was enough to give Denmark a break: Jannik Hansen took the puck, pulled a fast one on a Czech defenseman, then drove to net with all the confidence of a 22-year-old that’s already in his third World Championship, and beat Hnilicka on the glove side again.

"We got off to a really good start with that early goal. Maybe we shocked them a little bit. They got their first two goals with the man advantage--I believe the first one was a 6-on-5 and the second one was a 5-on-4," Hansen said.

"We wanted to stay out of the box, keep it simple, and put away our chances. If we’d put away a few more chances, it would have been a closer game than 5-2," Hansen added.

In the second period, the Czechs simply outplayed the Danes, converted their chances, scoring two goals - Vrbata, Irgl - and put the game away making the third period more or less a formality.

The Danish players had no trouble embracing the old adage of the name in the front of the sweater being more important than the one on the back, since the team was playing in retro sweaters that had no names on the back, evoking memories from the 1970s to mind, but, today, a good team effort just wasn’t enough against the Czechs who are the best in the world at rising to the occasion and playing just well enough to win.

"The main thing is that we got two points. That’s what we came for. We know there’ll be tougher games later on. We’ll get ready for Russia on Sunday. It’s going to be a very tough test, they're a team that’s going to contend for gold, and we want to do the same," Vrbata said.

As for Denmark, they have their sights on an important Sunday game as well.

"We’ve made a few adjustments to our game to fit the smaller ice surface. For a lot of the guys who haven’t played on it before, it’s a challenge. Hopefully, we can be at our best [on Sunday] when Italy comes," Hansen said.

RISTO PAKARINEN

www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/czechs-breeze-over-denmark.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=e14c18dd58

Game summary

Rosters

[Terry]

Canada wins historic first game

Playing on home soil for the first time, on the smaller North American ice, with two referees, Canada beats Slovenia 5-1
02-05-08

HALIFAX – Playing a World Championship game on home ice for the first time in the 100-year history of the IIHF, Canada beat Slovenia 5-1 at the Halifax Metro Centre. Dany Heatley led the way with a hat trick.

The game was played on the smaller North American ice for the first time and featured the two-referee system for the first time. The outcome was never in doubt such was the puck domination of the hosts, but goalie Robert Kristan, wearing vintage brown pads, kept the game close with a vintage performance against a team stacked with talent. For Slovenia, it was Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings who generated most of the attack and scored the lone goal.

"We knew this was going to be tough because we were playing against the world champions," a fatigued Kristan said after. "It was hard for us to play against Canada for our first game. It was hard watching those red jerseys all over the ice."

It didn't take long for Canada to get on the board thanks to a nice play down low by Dany Heatley. He took a pass from Ryan Getzlaf in the corner and was allowed to skate in front of Kristan unmolested. Kristan managed to make the save, but Dan Hamhuis was right there to bang home the rebound.

The dominating line of Rick Nash-Dany Heatley-Ryan Getzlaf doubled the lead just 41 seconds into the second period when Nash rifled a perfect pass across the crease to Heatley, parked at the back door of Kristan. He made no mistake from close range.

Martin St. Louis made it 3-0 on a slapshot on the power play with another delayed penalty on the way. Duncan Keith fired a low shot as goalie Cam Ward was racing to the bench for an extra attacker, but before he got there St. Louis deftly touched the shot past a beleaguered Kristan at 10:18. It was Canada's 33rd shot on goal to just eight from their opponents.

Moments later, Jason Spezza scored, but the goal was disallowed and Staal was sent to the penalty box for goalie interference. The Slovenians then capitalized on a lengthy 5-on-3 after Keith was called for high sticking. Kopitar took a beautiful pass from Tomaz Razingar from in close and beat Ward with a quick shot over the glove.

Canada was relentless, though, and Heatley scored his second of the game when his weak shot from the side of the net dribbled past an exhuasted Kristan who had made several spectacular saves in a matter of seconds.

"Fortunately, we didn't take them lightly," Spezza said. "Our effort was there and everybody backchecked hard and did a lot of the little things you sometimes forget to do in a game that's a little more wide open like this."

The third period was dominated by the Canadians, although they eased up on Kristan and simply played along the perimter inside the Slovenian end for much of the period. Heatley clinched the hat trick midway through the period.

The Canadians used their superior speed to get to most of the loose pucks, their strength to create turnovers deep in the Slovenian end, and their superior skill to hammer Kristan with 65 shots. The over-matched Slovenians were forced to take seven minor penalties, mostly in attempts to slow down their faster opponents.

"We worked hard, and we played the way we needed to," Canada's coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We didin't play using skill ahead of work, but work ahead of skill."

Canada's next game is against Latvia on Sunday afternoon while Slovenia takes on the United States in the late game that day.

ANDREW PODNIEKS

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Game summary

Rosters

[Terry]

Russia pounds Italy in opener

Game recap: Sporting vintage CCCP uniforms, Russia opened its quest for gold with a 7-1 win
03-05-08

QUEBEC CITY – It didn’t take long for Russia’s MIG-29 fighters to shift into full combat mode. Alexander Semin led the way in a 7-1 romp over Italy with two goals and an assist.

This Group D mismatch came down to skills and puck possession. The Russians made sure the Italians barely got to touch the little black disc, and then flattened their opponents’ defences like thin-crust pizza with lightning passes and shots.

Semin took the game’s first penalty, but he quickly made amends by scoring the first goal for Russia, splitting the Italian defence and roofing a backhander past Italian netminder Thomas Tragust at 4:02.

The Russians toyed with their opponents for the rest of the opening period, outshooting them 16-3. At 13:10, Sergei Fedorov tipped in a pass from Washington teammate Alexander Ovechkin, but the goal was waved off because Fedorov was in the crease.

Fedorov, playing his first IIHF World Championship game since 1990, wore #29 instead of the #91 he made famous in the NHL.

Just after an Italian penalty expired, the Washington connection clicked, with Ovechkin scooping up a puck at the side of the net and tucking it past Tragust’s right pad at 23:39. The assists went to Semin and Fedorov.

Midway through the game, the Russians had the puck on a string, and Alexei Morozov appeared to be robbed by Tragust on a wide-open chance set up by Ilya Kovalchuk. But after an extended video review, it was determined that Tragust’s glove was over the line, and it was 3-0 Russia.

“I had a feeling it was a goal, and so it was,” said Tragust. “No arguments there. The Russians have a lot of players that shoot well. There wasn’t much I could do.”

Just over a minute later, Alexei Tereschenko stepped in from the point and rifled home a blast, and at 31:18, Semin absolutely zinged a wrister over Tragust’s glove to make it 5-0.

Fedorov had another goal waved off when the whistle blew due to a hand pass from Ovechkin. But Maxim Sushinsky’s cheeky backhander from the edge of the crease gave Russia a six-goal lead with just over three minutes before the second buzzer.

Jason Cirone spoiled Alexander Eremenko’s shutout bid with 8:31 left, stuffing in a Patrick Iannone shot that trickled through the goalie's pads on a 2-on-1 rush.

Danis Zaripov beat Gunther Hell, who replaced Tragust in the third period, to round out the scoring with Russia’s lone power play marker of the night.

Final shots on goal favoured the Russians 44-18. Next up, they face the Czechs in a likely showdown for first place in the group on May 4, while the Italians clash with Denmark in hopes of avoiding the Relegation Round.

“We’ll have to get a lot better against the Czechs,” said Fedorov. “Everything must improve, because it’ll be a faster tempo. Better passes, and the team game has to be better, so we need shorter shifts.”

Notes: The result improved Russia’s all-time World Championship record versus Italy to eight wins and one tie…The Kazan line that dominated last year’s tournament in Moscow, each member cracking the Top Five in scoring, was split up, as Ilya Kovalchuk took Danis Zaripov’s place alongside Sergei Zinoviev and Alexei Morozov…The pre-game ceremonies featured appearances by IIHF President René Fasel, Quebec hockey legend Jean Beliveau, Quebec City Host Committee co-presidents Claude Rousseau, and Jacques Tanguay, Hockey Canada director Rene Marcil, and Jean Leclair, Chairman of the Board of the 400th Anniversary Society. Beliveau got a standing ovation...“It was a little strange to have the CCCP logo there, but we had the Russian one too,” said Ovechkin of Russia’s retro look. “We consider it like a gift to the older players.”

LUCAS AYKROYD

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Game summary

Rosters

[Terry]

U.S. attack too much for Latvia

Wearing 1960 retro sweaters, Team USA's special teams play and solid goaltending led to an opening night victory over Latvia.
03-05-08

HALIFAX – Dressed in their 1960 throwback jersey, Team USA topped Latvia 4-0 to win their opening game of the 2008 IIHF World Championships. Solid goaltending by Tim Thomas and clutch special teams scoring helped secure the win.

The Americans scored in each period and outshot Latvia 49-24.

Team USA began by keeping much of the action in the Latvian end of the ice. Their passing was crisp and the ability to gain the zone in sustaining an attack was equally effective. The Americans peppered Latvian netminder Edgars Masalskis with shots throughout. On the power play they were equally impressive, scoring all four goals with the man advantage.

"The powerplay was cooking," said Patrick Kane. "We've got a lot of young players but still we are going to try and win a goal medal."

Dustin Brown capitalized on one of those man advantage opportunities when he scored at 7:41 of the first period. After Jekabs Redlihs was whistled off for holding, Team USA wasted no time as a Paul Martin slapper was initially stopped by Masalskis but Brown was there on the doorstep to put it home.

While most of the action favored the Americans, there was one exceptional opportunity for Latvia in the first period. Juris Stals was alone in front of the net and fired a shot that was stopped by Thomas.

As the game wore on, the Latvians grew confident and found their stride in the middle frame. Aleksandrs Nizivijs fed a neat pass to Kaspars Daugavins who fanned on it. But several minutes later, Martins Cipuls sent a one-timer on net that Thomas gobbled up.

"I played Latvia about a decade ago and I remember they had a lot of veteran players then, but they are not a bad team. "In fact, I played against (Herberts) Vasiljevs in my first IHL (International Hockey League) game, and he scored the winner."

USA forward Patrick Kane scored his first-ever senior World Championship goal off a pass from Paul Martin. After accepting the pass, Kane skated slightly inside the top of the left faceoff circle and let go a wrister that beat Masalskis, putting Team USA up 2-0.

Kane would finish the game with a goal and two assists. Paul Martin added three assists.

Team USA threatened to increase their lead when Agris Saviels pulled down Lee Stempniak and a penalty shot was signaled. Stempniak went in without much finesse and determined to shoot. Masalskis rose to the occasion by stopping the shot, which brought the largely Latvian loving crowd to life.

As is World Championship custom, Latvian fans came prepared to contribute their usual tournament mayhem. This included the usual banging on drums and plenty of chanting and clapping. Now Halifax natives are getting a view of Latvian pride on full display.

Co-captain Zach Parise notched his first of the tournament in the third, as did Patrick O’Sullivan, who closed out the scoring.

In celebration of the IIHF’s 100th anniversary, each of the sixteen teams is wearing retro jerseys from a period in their nation’s hockey history. The Americans are wearing their 1960 jersey which honors the gold medal team from Squaw Valley.

In the waning minutes, Latvia peppered Thomas with shots but could not get the puck past him as he registered the shutout.

"I have not been involved in too many international tournaments," said head coach John Tortorella. "But the two games I have been involved in, Latvia has been a tough opponent. And tonight was not exception.

The Americans move on next to face Slovenia on Sunday while the Latvians meet Canada.

JOHN SANFUL

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Game summary

Rosters

[Terry]

Belarus scares Sweden again

Sweden takes lead, drops it, then comes from behind to beat Belarus.
03-05-08

QUEBEC CITY — Belarus came back to haunt Team Sweden. They pushed the Swedes against the wall, and made them work for the points in the first Group A matchup of the tournament. Unlike in Salt Lake City in 2002, the Swedes managed to squeeze a 6-5 win and the ghosts of hockey losses past were back in the closet.

Even if Team Sweden only has one player, team captain Kenny Jonsson, from the Salt Lake City Olympic team here (while starting goalie Mikael Tellqcist was the backup in 2002), the memory of the game still comes up when the two countries meet.

"You mean like in the Olympics? No, it was just a different kind of game with a lot of open space," said Robert Nilsson, laughing, after the game.

This generation of Swedes seemed determined to not create their own Belarus story. Patric Hornqvist showed the way in the first shift by nailing Belarus defenceman Vladimir Denisov into the boards with a hard body check. Then, after four minutes, Nils Ekman got the puck behind the Belarus net, held onto it, held onto it, and sent a pass to Magnus Johansson on the blueline. Johansson took a slapsot and beat Vitali Koval.

When Rickard Wallin’s stick hit a Belarus defenceman, and he was got 2+2 minutes for high sticking, Belarus got its chance to take over the game. Sweden managed to kill the penalties and went back on attack. World Championship rookie Robert Nilsson got the puck on the Belarus blueline, crossed it and passed the puck to Nicklas Backstrom who beat Koval for the second time.

"We had our chance, but this wasn't my best game," said a disappointed Belarus goalie Vitali Koval after the game.

But, the game was far from over. Belarus defenceman Viktor Kostyuchenok, who logged over 22 minutes in the game, snapped a wrist shot past Mikael Tellqvist with a 1:30 remaining in the first period.

In the second period, it was Belarus who took the command. First 2-2 by Sergei Zadelenov, then 3-2 by Alexei Ugarov. Every time the Swedes tied the game, Belarus scored one more to go ahead. First Hornqvist 3-3, then Alexander Zhurik 4-3. Nilsson tied the game in the second period, but Belarus took the lead at the beginning of the third again.

The Swedes chased the puck, they chased Belarus players, they chased the tying goal, and were desperate to tie the game so when Hornqvist got his second of the night, the relief and joy was just as obvious as it had been on Konstantin Koltsov’s face when he danced after the 5-4 goal.

With 9:26 remaining, it was Rickard Wallin’s turn to dance and pump his fist, after he deflected Nils Ekman’s shot between Koval’s pads to give Sweden the 6-5 lead – and three points.

"It was a tough game, Belarus is not easy to meet," said Nicklas Backstrom who played over 20 minutes, most of the Swedish forwards, because the team played with only three centers.

"That worked fine, it was just important to keep the shifts short," he said.

Coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson was happy with the result, but was already looking ahead.

"Belarus is a good and skilled team that skates well. Obviously, the six goals we scored was a good thing, but the five that they scored was too much. We have a lot of small things to work on," he said.

Belarus coach Curt Fraser gave credit to the Swedes.

"I liked the way we played, but Sweden is a strong team, and even if we competed hard, it wasn't enough. You should win if you score give goals, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough today," he said.

The Swedish team is widely considered to be weaker than in the past tournaments, but that's not something the players or the coaches are thinking about.

"Like our captain said, last year we only had one player in ‘The Show.’ Two years ago, we had like five. Sweden has always played like a team. We have some good players who play in Russia or the Swedish Elite League. We’re not worried at all," Robert Nilsson said.

No worries, no legends this time. But one colourful hockey game.

RISTO PAKARINEN

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Game summary

Rosters

[Terry]

Koivu nets pair for Finns

Finland's early third period goals are important in win against Germany.
03-05-08

HALIFAX – Mikko Koivu wasted no time in establishing his presence at the 2008 IIHF World Championships. Koivu scored twice in leading Finland to a 5-1 win over Germany.

The game began as a chess match with both teams keeping scoring chances largely to the outside. Both teams battled in zones, along corners, and in front of each other’s net.

Finland applied early pressure in keeping the puck largely in Germany’s end and had some of the best early chances to score.

Sean Bergenheim raced down to Dmitri Patzold’s right but was stopped. Patzold later made a beautiful dead-on stop on Selanne during Finland’s first power play of the game. In the waning seconds of the first period Antti Pihlstrom attempted a backhand wraparound but was unsuccessful.

Germany and Finland were well represented by ardent supporters who’ve made the trip and providing plenty of business at local saloons in Halifax. The German fans were vocal. Small clusters sang throughout and chanted “Deutschland”. Not to be outdone, Finnish fans around the arena would chip in by chanting “Suomi”.

Finland wasted no time in claiming the lead in the second when Koivu buried Tuomo Ruutu’s backhand pass in front of Germany’s net. Koivu stood alone as two defenders missed coverage and Patzold was out of position. Coming at 1:45 into the period, Finland was finally on the board.

Two costly penalties would be Germany’s undoing. Jason Holland and Sebastien Osterloh were whistled off putting the Germans down two men. Finland capitalized on the first power play as Holland’s penalty was four seconds away from expiring. Olli Jokinen rocketed a slapshot past a defenseless Patzold making it 2-0. It was his first of the tournament and the game-winner.

Florian Busch cut the lead in half with a power play goal. It was sweet vindication for Busch who cleared by the World Anti-Doping Association prior to the game allowing for his participation in the tournament.

Finland opened it up with two quick goals to start the third period. Koivu scored his second of the game :24 into the period. Hannes Hyvonen added another some two minutes later. At that point what was once a close game for two periods was decidedly in Finland's favor and safely put away. Teemu Selanne added another for good measure, going five-hole on Patzold.

Finland next faces Norway on Monday afternoon, while Germany faces Slovakia on Monday evening.

JOHN SANFUL

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Game summary

Rosters

[Terry]

France falls to Swiss

Cristobal Huet returns to Quebec in a losing cause
04-05-08

QUEBEC CITY – On a Saturday night when Canadian Francophone pride was on display, Switzerland coolly commandeered its way to a 4-1 win over France at the Colisée.

Fans in French colours loudly competed with their Swiss counterparts. A large pro-France contingent occupied former Montreal Canadiens goalie Cristobal Huet’s end of the rink, singing, clapping, and chanting slogans like “Allez les bleus!” The Swiss fans, in a section to goalie Martin Gerber’s right, countered with “Hopp Schwitz!” Huet got the biggest cheers during the pre-game roster announcements, still popular in this onetime colony of France.

Yet when the puck was dropped, none of that mattered. Switzerland’s superior speed, conditioning, and skills wore down their opponents.

Huet was under siege all night, making 44 saves. Gerber, who played his best hockey of the year with the Ottawa Senators in their first-round loss to Pittsburgh, earned the win with 25 saves.

“This was probably the toughest game for me all season,” said Huet. “I haven’t faced that many shots all year.”

Switzerland’s all-time World Championship record versus France improved to five wins, four losses and one tie.

The two rivals got off to a up-tempo, physical start, with hits thrown in all three zones.

At 8:18, on a Swiss power play, Patrik Bartschi sprang Roman Wick with a tape-to-tape pass that put him behind the French defence, and he rushed in to beat Huet blocker side for a 1-0 lead.

“The first goal was really important,” said Bartschi, who finished with three points. “We knew that if the French got the first goal, then their goalie could stand on his head and shut us out.”

At 15:08, Wick nearly repeated the same sequence, but this time he was hauled down by France’s Vincent Bachet, leading to a 5-on-3 Swiss man advantage. Huet made a great stick save on Paul DiPietro, and the cheers loudened.

But at 16:54, with Switzerland enjoying a one-man advantage, Julien Sprunger set up to the left of Huet’s cage and snapped a shot past the French goalie for a 2-0 lead. It was well-deserved. The Swiss outshot France 20-6 in the opening stanza.

About three minutes into the second period, it was 3-0 when Bartschi one-timed a howitzer from the high slot.

The French started to press midway through the game, and Gerber made a sweet sliding save on a cross-crease feed to Sacha Treille. France had an extended 5-on-3 after Andres Ambuhl was exiled for four minutes for high-sticking French captain Laurent Meunier. (Meunier was cut badly enough that he had to get a new sweater, exchanging #10 for #44).

France’s Julien Desrosiers broke Gerber’s goose egg by converting a rebound at the very end of the second period, to the delight of the crowd. Video review confirmed the puck crossed the goal line before the buzzer sounded. However, Raffaele Sannitz restored Switzerland’s three-goal gap 31 seconds into the third period.

Tempers flared toward the end as the French tried for one more goal to please their supporters, with scrums bursting out around Gerber. Meunier wound up changing jerseys again, this time to #20, with about three minutes left.

“I’m proud of the way our guys dealt with the importance of the game,” said Swiss coach Ralph Krueger. “We have a really young group here this year, as we made a lot of changes. It was a huge three points for us.”

“We played against the Swiss in February and lost 5-2, so we knew they’d have a good team,” said French coach Dave Henderson. “Having just been promoted from Division I, we knew we didn’t have the experience to compete on this level. We came here looking for experience.

Next up, May 5 sees Switzerland taking on Belarus and France facing Sweden.

Reported attendance was 9,367.

LUCAS AYKROYD

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Game summary

Rosters

[Terry]

Slovakia too much for Norway

Norway was game, but poor goaltending contributed to a 5-1 loss
04-05-08

HALIFAX – Slovakia defeated Norway 5-1 in the first game for both teams tonight at the Halifax Metro Centre, but it was hardly a dominating performance by the 6th ranked team over the 14th ranked Norway.

Robert Petrovicky had a goal and two assists for the winners. "The last game we played was seven or eight days ago," Petrovicky said, "so it was good to play again. We know we don't have the best team, but we have a bunch of guys who are willing to work hard and do whatever it takes to win."

Indeed, the Norwegians were equal to the Slovaks in many areas except goaltending and touch around the goal. Jan Lasak stopped most everything sent his way while Andre Lysenstoen had several shaky moments in Norway's goal.

Norway skated well and showed remarkable poise, but their poor puckhandling in scoring positions was their downfall. One indicator of the evenness of play was that both teams were whistled for five minor penalties.

The Slovaks opened the scoring with a short-handed goal at 9:43 of the first. Tibor Melicharek took the puck down the left wing and his weak shot was deflected by Marius Holtet. The puck wobbled past the blocker of Lysenstoen to give the Slovakians a fortunate 1-0 lead.

Although the teams played evenly for the rest of the period, Slovakia opened a two-goal lead just 15 seconds into the second when Juraj Kolnik came down the right wing on a two-on-one. He held onto the puck, moved in on Lysenstoen who remained back in his net, and beat him easily over the glove.

They upped the lead to 3-0 on the power play midway through the period when Lubomir Visnovsky's point shot was expertly deflected in front by Robert Petrovicky.

Just a minute later, though, a Slovakian clearing attempt was intercepted by Mathis Olimb and he ripped a wrist shot over the glove of Lasak from the slot to bring the score to 3-1. "I had a bit of room in front and time to pick a corner. I was lucky it went in," Olimb said humbly.

The Norwegians had a late power play in the period with Radovan Somik in the box, but although they moved the puck around well they couldn't pull the trigger on a second goal.

Any hopes of a Norway rally were snuffed out just seven seconds into the third period when Marcel Hossa scored on a wrist shot from far out that Lysenstoen should have grabbed.

Slovakia is the finest "swing" nation in World Championship play. When it has a full roster of its best players, it can beat any country in the world. When it doesn't--as is the case here in Canada--it drops several levels. The Norwegians, on the other hand, played with more skill and confidence than they did when they first returned to the top pool in 2006.

"Before the tournament we talked about our team and we agreed we have to take baby steps," Petrovicky said. "Tonight, we made the first step, and now we have to be ready for step two. Every step is going to be more difficult."

Slovakia's next game in Group C will be Monday night against the Germans while the early game that day will feature Norway versus Finland.

ANDREW PODNIEKS

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Game summary

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[Terry]

Sudden death keeps Russia alive

Sellout crowd shakes foundations of Colisée Pepsi, Czechs the foundations of Russian self confidence.
04-05-08

QUEBEC CITY – The much hyped Russian team was put to a test in its second game of the tournament against the Czech Republic. Yes, they passed the test with a 5-4 overtime win, but the game was a testament to the hockey sense of the Czech players.

Looking at the two teams’ practices, you’d be excused to think that one of them was the World Champion team, and the other a group of guys in a game of shinny. A group of skilled guys speaking Czech, that is.

But when they turn it on, they really put on a show.

Russia came to the game oozing with self-confidence after their 7-1 blowout over Italy on Friday. They got the first goal at 3:47 when Sergei Zinoviev picked up his own rebound and lifted the puck behind Milan Hnilicka.

Penalties proved to be the Russians’ Achilles heel tonight. All Czech goals were scored on power play. First Patrik Elias scored on a zig-zag goal that had the puck go from Marek Zidlicky to Jaroslav Hlinka to Elias who tipped it in for 1-1, then Ales Kotalik gave the Czechs a 2-1 lead in the first period on a similar play.

When the sold-out Quebec City crowd that has taken the Russians as their adopted home team was waiting for the signal, the puck found its way to Konstantin Gorovikov, who took a backhander that surprised Hnilicka with just 0.3 seconds remaining.

“The key moment in the game was the 5-on-3 when we had a 2-1 lead. If we had scored there, it would have been 3-1, and it would have been a lot tougher for the Russian team to come back,” said veteran defenseman Tomas Kaberle, who went on to praise Patrik Elias.

“He had a big game for us today, and he’s a big leader on our team,” he said.

Russian goalie Alexei Eremenko was injured halfway through the second period, after having ended up on the bottom of a pile of Czech and Russian players. Coach Vyacheslav Bykov said after the game that Eremenko’s injury "in the knee area" would be evaluated by doctors.

Mikhail Biryukov got his break, but soon after entering the game, the 22-year-old goalie from Balashikha in the Russian Superliga, got fooled by Marek Zidlicky’s slapshot that went wide, then bounced off the boards behind the net straight to Elias who tipped it into the empty net for 3-3.

The Czechs were back. Oh yes, they were back. Were they ever even gone? In the first two periods, they outshot the Russians 32-16.

Third period began with both teams waiting for the other guys to blink.

Then the Russians did.

While Gorovikov was sitting in the penalty box, Elias struck again, completing his hat trick.

“We made a couple of mistakes and they’ve got great players who can score on the power play,” said Alexander Ovechkin.

Halfway through the third period, the Russians got their chance. Coach Vyacheslav Bykov sent his big guns to take care of the Russian power play. Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Semin, and Sergei Fedorov cycled the puck around the Czech zone, then sent it to Konstantin Korneyev, who whipped a slapshot past Hnilicka.

In a game that had already everything – goals, speed, skills, hits, even the wave in the stands – it was appropriate that there would be both an overtime and a penalty shot. Ilya Kovalchuk was tripped on a breakaway in the overtime but his wrist shot hit the post.

At 1:50 remaining, Alexei Morozov took a wrist shot from the circle and beat Hnilicka on the stick side to keep the Russians still undefeated in the tournament.

“It was a tight, tight game, and special teams were a big factor,” said Ales Kotalik.

“We’re satisfied with the way we played. We knew it was going to be back and forth. I don’t think the better team won today. Maybe the more lucky team,” he added.

RISTO PAKARINEN

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Game summary

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[Terry]

Canada wows home fans

Heatley-Nash-Getzlaf. Canada's best ever line at the Worlds? Another dominating performance helps Canada crush Latvia, 7-0
04-05-08

HALIFAX – Wow. Wearing their new sweaters that in part pay homage to the Edmonton Mercurys of 1951-52, Canada stormed out to a 3-0 first-period lead and never looked back, whipping Latvia by a final score of 7-0. It was the country's 11th straight win in World Championship competition going back to last year's perfect 9-0-0 record. Pascal Leclaire stopped 30 shots for the shutout.

The line of Rick Nash-Dany Heatley - Ryan Getzlaf might well look good together in Vancouver in two years' time at the Olympics. Today, they accounted for three goals and eight total points. Heatley led the charge with a goal and three assists, while Nash had two goals and Getzlaf two helpers. By the time this tournament is over, the "RDR" line might well be called the greatest forward unit ever to play for Canada at the World Championships.

"Our chemistry is good," Nash said, "and each game it will get better. We're still learning and getting comfortable with each other."

The Latvians were also impressively attired in their dark blue sweaters with broad white V-neck to honour their teams of the 1930s.

Canada started out like a house on fire, taking control of the puck in the Latvian end almost from the opening faceoff and not relinquishing it until the linesman fished it out of the net after the first goal at 2:35.

Defenceman Ed Jovanovski fired a shot from the point that was blocked in front, but Jamal Mayers made a cute little pass in a crowd to Patrick Sharp at the side of the net. He made no mistake.

Just 70 seconds later, the Canadians made it 2-0 when Mike Green took a perfect backhanded saucer pass along the right boards from Dany Heatley. He went in alone and beat Edgars Masalskis cleanly.

It took another ten minutes for them to get the third goal but it was worth the wait. On another lengthy stay inside the Latvian end, Getzlaf made a pass from the side boards almost clear to the other side where Heatley one-timed it beautifully. Masalskis had no chance on that one.

"They came out a little timid, but once they got going they were a little dangerous," defenceman Mike Green noted.

Latvian forward Herberts Vasiljevs agreed. "You could really see the difference out there. We were just trying to contain them, but we caught our game in the second period. We were still down, but we were working hard."

The best chance of the period for the Latvians came near the end when Mikelis Redlihs broke down the right wing and cut in on goal on his off wing. He tried to score through Pascal Leclaire's pads, but the goalie shut the five-hole in time.

The big three started the scoring spree again early in the second period on the power play as Heatley, parked to the side of the net, feathered a beautiful pass to Nash in front to make it 4-0. A minute later, St. Louis made it an even five on another nice pass to the side of the net, this time from Jason Spezza. When Chris Kunitz ripped a shot over Masalskis's glove less than a minute later, the goalie was pulled in favour of Sergejs Naumovs.

The change settled the Latvians down for a while, but another sensational pass by Getzlaf and diving shot by Nash made it 7-0 midway through the second. Canada took its collective foot off the accelerator after that.

The game was also good news for another reason. The Halifax Metro Centre was sold out and full, even though the game clashed directly with the Pittsburgh-New York Rangers playoff game. The Penguins' captain, Sidney Crosby is a hero in Nova Scotia, so any worries about the World Championship not succeeding in Canada because of a scheduling overlap with the Stanley Cup playoffs can be silenced.

Canada closes out its round robin in with a showdown against USA on Tuesday afternoon. The winner will likely finish atop the Group B standings. The Latvians play Slovenia in the night game that day in a game that will likely have important ramifications for the Relegation Round.

ANDREW PODNIEKS

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Game summary

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[Terry]

Danish delight

Morten Green’s four-point outing leads Denmark past Italy
05-05-08

QUEBEC CITY – The quality of hockey was lower than the Czech Republic-Russia battle, but the live-or-die factor in the Sunday evening game at the Colisée was higher as Denmark dispatched Italy to the Relegation Round with a 6-2 win.

The result has implications beyond the 2008 IIHF World Championship. The IIHF World Ranking after this year’s Worlds will determine qualification for the 12-team 2010 Olympics. With the top nine qualifying directly to Vancouver and three more qualifying via tournaments to be played in late 2008 and early 2009, Denmark (currently #12 to Italy’s #13) could end up with home ice advantage for those qualification tournaments.

Special teams were the difference here, as Denmark capitalized three times with the power play.

Morten Green set the standard for Denmark with a goal and three assists, and Kim Staal shone with a goal and two helpers.

“It was an important win,” said Staal. “It was important to get the first goal. But don’t think we didn’t have to work for the win. Italy worked hard and did their best.”

At 3:54, Green, a veteran Swedish leaguer, opened the scoring for Denmark. Positioned between the hash marks, he took a lovely centering feed from Staal, located by the goal line, and he zinged it high over Italian goalie Thomas Tragust.

The Danes took a 2-0 lead on the power play at 8:11 when Lars Eller’s shot from the right side was tipped neatly home by Staal, the second assist going to Green.

With a two-man advantage midway through the period, Jannik Hansen tipped in Green’s center point drive, and Italian head coach Michel Goulet decided he’d seen enough, replacing Tragust with veteran Guenther Hell at 11:26.

Unfortunately, Goulet’s move didn’t spark a miraculous comeback. (No shades of Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff getting yanked in favor of Curtis Joseph after the 3-0 San Jose goal in Game Three of the Western Conference quarter-final.)

Three and a half minutes into the second period, Daniel Nielsen made it 4-0, getting his stick on yet another Green drive, on yet another power play.

“It was a really good game for me personally, but also for the team,” said Green. “Our power plays clicked and we had great goaltending.”

The Italians cut the deficit to 4-1 when Jason Cirone sent a wrister through Peter Hirsch’s five-hole from the right faceoff circle with 2:12 left in the middle frame.

It was 4-2 at 7:09 of the third when Nicola Fontanive scooped a rebound past Hirsch, and that goal ramped up Italy’s go-for-it factor. Jonathan Pittis and Giulio Scandella narrowly missed on a 2-on-1 rush shortly afterwards.

But when the Italians failed to convert on a mid-third period power play, Morten Dahlmann spotted Jesper Damgaard coming out of the penalty box and hit him with a breakaway pass, which the Danish captain just got past Hell’s glove. Game over.

Kaspar Degn rounded out the scoring for Denmark with 3:57 left, circling the net and lifting a high shot over Hell.

Denmark outshot Italy 32-28.

The Danes complete their Preliminary Round slate versus Russia on Tuesday, while the Italians do likewise against the Czech Republic.

“In the next group we’ll probably face Belarus and Sweden,” said Green. “They’ve been ahead of us for five or six years, so it would be nice to change that.”

“We finished 10th last year, and that was great,” said Mads Bodker. “We hope to improve on that.”

Denmark also won its last two World Championship clashes with Italy in 2006 and 2007, 5-0 and 5-2 respectively.

Drum-beating, singing Danish fans (nicknamed the “Roligans”) set up shop behind Hirsch’s net, accompanied by the tournament polar bear mascot. In the final minutes of the game, they began trooping caterpillar-style around the staircases in the standing, singing jubilantly and ringing bells.

Announced attendance was 6,838.

LUCAS AYKROYD

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Game summary

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[Terry]

USA powers past Slovenia

5-1 victory sets up showdown on Tuesday against Canada.
05-05-08

HALIFAX – Team USA turned aside a determined Slovenian squad, scoring three power play goals to earn a 5-1 win.

Phil Kessel’s middle frame goals paced the Americans en route to a showdown on Tuesday against Canada in the final game of the Preliminary Round here in Halifax.

Slovenia came out determined not to sit back passively and let the Americans dictate the pace of the game. They took the play to the Americans and were the early aggressors.

The attack was led by Anze Kopitar who, if not making everyone around him better, certainly is making them respectable. Kopitar drove to the net, drew penalties and scored.

"It was strange playing against him because we were roommates in Los Angeles last year and he is one of my best friends," said USA forward Patrick O'Sullivan.

Team USA would blunt the Slovenian effort by taking the lead midway through the first.

Patrick Kane forced a turnover in the Slovenia zone. Defenseman Jakob Milovanovic coughed up the puck between the faceoff circles and Kane picked it up, settled it down, and fired a wrister that Robert Kristan stood no chance of stopping. Dustin Brown assisted on the goal.

The goal was Team USA’s fifth consecutive power play score. All of their goals against Latvia came with the man-advantage.

"We work a lot on the power play during practice because there are so many penalties called here," said Kane. "We've scored seven in two games so there is a good feeling with our special teams play."

Things got a tense late in the first period when Keith Ballard nailed Kopitar along the boards. Ballard was assessed a two minute penalty for checking to the neck and head area, and a ten-minute unsportsmanlike penalty at 18:18. The advantage did not last long as Dejan Varl was sent off for holding at 19:47.

Team USA’s defensive coverage was superior in the second as they neutralized the Slovenian attack. Slovenia managed a mere three shots on goal in the period.

Kessel, making his third straight IIHF World Championship appearance for Team USA, picked up a pair of power play goals. On the first he used Miha Rebolj as a screen to send a shot past Kristan.

Less than seven minutes later when Uros Vidmar was called off for hooking, Kessel would score another, almost from the same position as the first but this time skated closer on the net and converted an even higher percentage scoring chance.

Slovenia finally got on the scoreboard when Kopitar raced to the right of the net and sent a wrist shot far side past Tim Thomas. It was the first goal Thomas has allowed this tournament after shutting out Latvia on Friday. Tomaz Razingar and Ales Krancj picked up assists.

"I'm glad he scored even though I was on the ice," said O'Sullivan of his friend and Los Angeles Kings teammate.

In the third period Team USA added two goals for good measure, including their first even strength goals of the tournament. David Booth scored 5:05 into the period and Kessel got another for the hat trick.

Kristan, the hero in Friday’s game against Canada, faced 37 shots. Thomas, buoyed by strong defense in front, faced 12.

"I thought 5-on-5 we played pretty even but those penalties in the second period were really tough on us," said Kristan. "They were really tough on us on the power play."

Team USA now prepares for its pivotal contest against Canada on Tuesday. With all Canadian teams now eliminated from the NHL playoffs, there should be significant interest in this game.

Slovenia and Latvia play that evening as well. The winner avoids the Relegation Round.

JOHN SANFUL

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Game summary

Rosters

[Terry]

Swiss spring past Belarus

Julien Sprunger’s pair of power play goals make the difference
05-05-08

QUEBEC CITY – With a solid 2-1 win over Belarus on Monday, Switzerland moved on to the Qualifying Round for the 11th straight year. The Belarusians must now battle France on Wednesday to avoid relegation play.

Julien Sprunger, a 22-year-old Fribourg-Gotteron forward who was drafted by Minnesota in 2004, scored both Swiss goals. Konstantin Koltsov replied for Belarus.

Belarus bolstered its lineup with four NHLers: Ruslan Salei of the Colorado Avalanche, and Andrei Kostitsyn, Sergei Kostitsyn, and Mikhail Grabovsky of the Montreal Canadiens. But despite their speed, strength, and high-level experience, they had little impact. Salei picked up an assist. Andrei Kostitsyn took a misconduct with about four minutes left, and Sergei joined him in the sin bin in the last minute after Belarus was caught with too many men on the ice for the second time in the game.

“They’ve come from playing in the NHL playoffs, and it’s an emotional rollercoaster,” said Belarus coach Curt Fraser of his latest additions. “I’m looking for them to be much better and contribute more in the next game.”

“The game against France is a must-win,” said Salei. “We must get better.”

The early tempo was greater than the number of quality scoring chances for either side. Despite a steady stream of hooking and interference calls, neither team broke through on the power play. That is, until Julien Sprunger unleashed a howitzer from the left faceoff circle that beat Belarus goalie Vitali Koval on the stick side at 13:01 for a 1-0 Swiss lead.

At 8:34 of the second period, Belarus drew even thanks to aggressive forechecking by Konstantin Koltsov, who fought off Swiss defenceman Philippe Furrer, took the puck to the net, and deposited it past Switzerland’s Martin Gerber.

Sprunger gave the Swiss a 2-1 lead with 5:24 left in the middle frame, positioning himself perfectly in the slot to tip Thibaut Monnet’s power play blast from inside the blueline. The play was video-reviewed and deemed good.

Two players wearing #10 stood out in the dying minutes of the second. Oleg Antonenko came close to tying it for Belarus when he rang one off Gerber’s right post on a power play. Then Andres Ambuhl managed to nullify the Belarusian man advantage when he raced in on goal and attempted a backhand deke, obliging Salei to take a hooking penalty.

The Swiss cracked down defensively in the third period. Although the Belarusians got four power play opportunities of varying lengths, they couldn’t solve Gerber, but rarely tested him either.

“We knew it would be a one-goal game ever since we saw a year ago that they’d be in our group in Quebec City,” said Swiss coach Ralph Krueger.

Switzerland outshot Belarus 31-23.

“We knew the Kostitsyn brothers were good, and that it was a strong team off the rush,” said Gerber. “We said we had to be careful and avoid giveaways.”

The plan worked. As a result of this win, the Swiss will most probably qualify directly for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

This was the reverse of what happened in 2006. When Belarus beat Switzerland 2-1 at the IIHF World Championship in Latvia, it was a crucial Qualifying Round victory that propelled the former Soviet republic into the quarter-finals. Belarus finished sixth that year under Glen Hanlon’s guidance, its best-ever result.

Here, Belarus had to do without Aleksandr Makritsky, who suffered some eye bleeding in the first game against Sweden after a high-sticking foul by Rickard Wallin. The defenceman is under medical observation, and the Belarusian management hopes he’ll return to action in the tournament. This is Makritsky’s twelfth IIHF World Championship.

Longtime Swiss captain Mark Streit, reportedly nursing an injury, will not suit up for his country in Quebec City, even though Montreal has been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s the first time Streit hasn’t participated in a World Championship since Ralph Krueger took over the Swiss national team in 1998.

Switzerland completes its Preliminary Round Wednesday versus Sweden.

LUCAS AYKROYD

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Game summary

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[Terry]

Norway loses but wins

Tuomo Ruutu's goal in overtime helps Finland save face.
06-05-08

HALIFAX – Finland defeated Norway 3-2 in overtime of its second game of the 2008 IIHF World Championship. Truly, the Finns dodged a bullet against a markedly improved Norway

Tuomo Ruutu’s goal in overtime sealed the win.

"In the end we did win and that is a positive," said captain Ville Peltonen.

Finland wasted no time in establishing its presence. Martin Roymark was called for elbowing a minute and a half into the contest. All of 17 seconds later, Jussi Jokinen scored off a feed from Niko Kapanen. Ville Koistinen got the other assist.

With Finland scoring so quickly and on their first shot of the game, it was easy to believe that Norway would struggle in trying to keep up.

But the Norwegians would not back down.

"I thought Norway played very well today," said Finnish head coach Doug Shedden. "Norway made it very difficult for us but our defense did not play well today, especially in the first period."

Morten Ask answered back when at the 15:34 mark when he sent a wrist shot in stride past Petri Vehanen, making his World Championship debut in goal. Ask appears to be back in form after leading Norway in scoring at the championship in Moscow.

Midway through the first, Tuomo Ruutu delivered a jarring hit on Juha Kaunismaki, which led to an elbowing call but the Norwegians would not stop pressing. In fact they continued hustling for loose pucks and winning battles in the corners.

Finland had a golden opportunity when Olli Jokinen raced down with Teemu Selanne on a two-on-one. Jokinen had a great scoring chance so close in on goal but tried to pass instead to Selanne who by then was picked up by the sole defender.

Ville Peltonen scored a power play goal to make it 2-1. Mikko Koivu’s pass back to Peltonen was responsible for setting up the goal. Selanne also received an assist.

Then the game grew even more intriguing.

The period ended with a 5-on-3 as Jussi Jokinen was sent off at 18:11 and Peltonen at 19:03. This would have to be Norway’s chance to generate some offense and get back in the game.

Norway took advantage of the Jokinen penalty as Anders Bastiansen scored with nine seconds remaining in the period. Norway would enter the second still on the power play.

The two teams continued to trade chances back and forth with chances on both ends of the ice but the game remained tied at 2-2.

Finland opened the third with a wonderful chance as Niko Kapanen’s strong shot was padded away by Pal Grotnes. Today’s game was Grotnes first action of the tournament and he was exceptional.

"We have to play our system if we are going to do well, and we did that today," said Grotnes.

Koivu started a charge that led to a close in chance in chance for Jussi Jokinen and one for Sean Bergenheim.

The Norwegian offense dried up significantly in the third but when Koistinen was called off for delay of game, and under five minutes remaining, Norway peppered Vehanen with shots.

With ten seconds remaining Koivu tried to jam home the puck as he was in front but Grotnes would not budge.

In the overtime session, Ruutu took the puck wide and sent it on net. The puck found its way past Grotnes, ending the game.

The improvement in Norway’s performance from Saturday was remarkable. It was a complete turnaround from their opener.

"Our preparation just was not good enough today," said Peltonen. "We had a good game against Germany and we thought we could just come out and win today without trying."

While some would say the Finns did not play well, the Norwegians deserve credit for making it a game by responding after each of Finland’s first two goals. Norway must now take that confidence into their next game against Germany.

With the win, Finland gets two points. They next face Slovakia in their final game of the round. They will receive a much-needed spark when Saku Koivu arrives in time to upgrade their roster.

JOHN SANFUL

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Game summary

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