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Post by Terry on May 9, 2008 11:36:31 GMT -5
Power play saves the day for USA After fast start, Team USA hangs on to beat Germany 6-4. 09-05-08 HALIFAX – Team USA held on to beat Germany 6-4 on a late period power play goal by Zach Parise in the third. Team USA wasted no time in jumping all over Germany with three first period goals before Germany clawed their way back, tying the score and chasing Craig Anderson from the game. Germany, to its credit, also did not lie down for the Americans, which they could have done after losing a critical game to Norway last night here at the Halifax Metro Centre. "They didn't quit and we really didn't expect them to," said recent Team USA addition Brandon Dubinsky. "We had to bear down a couple of times and found a way to get it done and that is the most important thing. The Americans pounced on their first opportunity when Paul Martin fed a pass to Zach Parise between the faceoff circles. Parise snapped a laser of a shot past Dmitri Patzold, making his first start since Germany’s opening game against Finland. Parise’s goal came :26 into the contest. Paul Martin picked up the assist, his fifth of the tournament. Both are enjoying fine tournament performances for Team USA. Jason Pominville also received an assist. Patrick O’Sullivan extended his points scoring streak at these World Championships to four when he drove to the net with Sebastien Osterloh marking him closely. O’Sullivan sent a backhander on goal that beat Patzold. James Wisniewski got in on the action when he broke from his point position to slot where he scored using a nifty backhand off a pass from Drew Stafford. With the score 3-0, German head coach Uwe Krupp called a timeout to settle his team down. The Americans scored those three goals on their first five shots of the game. Germany roared right back after that to score two in the period. Michael Hackert scored on a wraparound with Anderson out of position. On Hackert’s wrap, the puck hit off O’Sullivan, who was covering the exposed side, and into the net. Christopher Schmidt’s one-timer made it 3-2, beating Anderson far side. Germany scored both goals on only four shots taken in the period. The Americans outshot the Germans 13-4 in the first. Both teams traded chances and goals in the second. Jason Pominville scored a power play goal while the Americans enjoyed a two-man advantage. Patrick Kane wove his way through the German zone and took a slapshot that was saved but a big rebound to Patzold’s right side where Pominville was positioned and ready to score. The goal came at 6:52 into the period. A great second effort by Florian Busch produced a score and a 4-3 game where it stayed until the third. Michael Bakos brought the Germans level with the Americans at 4:55 of the third with a slap shot from the point. Seeing enough and the score tied 4-4, USA head coach John Tortorella pulled Anderson in favor of Robert Esche. Anderson gave up four goals on 10 shots. Things got a little testy when Osterloh hit O’Sullivan along the boards in Germany’s end and was called for a checking to the head penalty. David Backes joined the fray and the first real scrum of the game developed. With Osterloh in the box, Christoph Schubert was also called for a cross checking penalty giving the Americans a :14 second two man advantage. "We gave ourselves a chance to come back but took these penalties and whether they are the right calls or not, we're sitting in the box and that did not help us at all," said German forward John Tripp. Team USA called a timeout to regroup and it paid off. With :53 remaining in Schubert’s penalty, Parise’s second goal of the game gave the USA the lead where it stayed. An empty netter by Dustin Brown closed out the scoring on the night. Team USA next takes on Finland on Sunday while the Germans meet Canada on Saturday. JOHN SANFUL www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/power-play-saves-the-day-for-usa.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=baea7f7906Game summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 10, 2008 0:51:45 GMT -5
Finland wins on 61st shot Latvian netminder Edgars Masalskis had a busy day in goal fending off the Finnish attack. 09-05-08 HALIFAX – Once the 2008 IIHF World Championship is over for Latvia, Edgars Masalskis will need a long and well-deserved vacation. Masalskis put in a valiant effort in making 62 saves but could not keep his team from losing to Finland 2-1. A third period goal by Niko Kapanen proved the game-winner with 9:16 remaining, keeping Finland away from having to play another overtime contest. Finland’s first period was one of the most dominant twenty minutes of hockey at this tournament. Finland controlled every aspect of the play and created chances from every possible area in the offensive zone. With all the action in the period, it was Latvia who would draw first blood. Lauris Darzins scored 1:27 into the game when he picked up a loose puck from behind the net, splitting between Sami Lepisto and Anssi Salmela to take a wide-angle shot that beat Niklas Backstrom. Discipline was Latvia’s big problem today. There were seven penalties called on Latvia in the first period, including a succession of infractions on Georgijs Pujacs, Herberts Vasiljevs, and Krisjanis Redlihs. Latvia was able to kill off these two-man down situations. The other story of the game was the inability of Finland to score on the power play. With Latvia taking so many penalties, the Finns should have come away with much more but instead both goals were scored at even strength. Masalskis was sublime this afternoon at Halifax Metro Centre. He played his position well and showed much poise in handling the Finnish attack. In the period Finland outshot Latvia a whopping 36-5. Were it not for Masalskis, this game would have been over mid-way through the first. "I feel pretty tired now" said a weary Masalskis. "I think it was the first time in my career where I had that many shots in a period." Olli Jokinen led the way with seven shots; Peltonen and Hannes Hyvonen had six apiece. "After the first with so many shots we felt ready to score," said Peltonen. "It would have been worse if we didn't get any shots. Things normalized somewhat in the second period. Darzins had another excellent chance to add to Latvia’s lead less than two minutes in, just like the first period but could not convert. Finland finally solved the riddle that was Masalskis when Antti Pihlstrom took a crisp pass from Janne Niskala and was off to the races. Pihlstrom beat the Latvian netminder stickside to tie the score. In the waning minutes of the game Latvia’s Aleksandrs Macijevskis had a great scoring chance dead on but was stopped. After pulling their goaltender Latvia had its best chance with only seconds remaining. Armands Berezins skating near the crease had a wide open side but a sprawled Backstrom was able to get his stick out and then smother the puck with 2.8 seconds left. In the end, Kapanen’s wrister saved Finland from another overtime game. With the power outage on man advantage special teams play, Finland will have to address this issue if they are to be successful the rest of the way. "We have a lot of adjustments to make," said Peltonen assessing his team's performance. "Our team play is not where we want it to be. We have to improve and we have to improve fast." The game marked Saku Koivu’s first game of the tournament for Finland. Koivu centered a line with Ville Peltonen and Teemu Selanne. In his four appearances at the World Championships this year, Masalskis has faced 148 shots. "Right now I feel empty," said Masalskis in defeat. "We worked so hard and my teammates blocked so many shots but there were so many penalties it was crazy." Oddly, Masalskis was not named Latvian player of the game, Rodrigo Lavins was, which drew the ire of the crowd given how well the goaltender played. JOHN SANFUL www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/finland-wins-on-61st-shot.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=bfd5216a28Game summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 10, 2008 0:57:07 GMT -5
Russia ousts Belarus in shootout Koval shines in goal for Belarusians, but it’s not enough 09-05-08 QUEBEC CITY – In the first shootout of the 2008 Worlds, Sergei Mozyakin and Alexei Morozov scored as Russia eked out a 4-3 win over a tenacious Belarus squad. With the win, Russia moved into first place in Group E with seven points. Belarus, with one point, still has a slim chance to make the quarter-finals by winning two straight games in regulation, if either Sweden or Switzerland fails to gain any points from its two remaining games. Belarus goalie Vitali Koval was heroic, facing 55 shots in a losing cause. Even though he wasn’t chosen as a Player of the Game, the crowd chanted his name at the end. “He’s been playing great, and giving us a chance every game,” said Belarus captain Ruslan Salei. “That’s what you want from a goalie.” “Maybe you’ll see something even better from me in the games to come,” said Koval when asked if this was his best game ever. “I’ll do my best.” Maxim Afinogenov, with a pair, and Alexander Ovechkin scored in regulation for Russia. Andrei Mikhalev, Dmitri Dudik and Alexei Ugarov had the goals for Belarus. Russia’s top goalie and defenceman, Evgeni Nabokov and Andrei Markov, dressed for the first time in this tournament. Nabokov remained on the bench as Mikhail Biryukov’s backup. Markov’s only contribution on the scoresheet was a pair of minor penalties. “We’ll have to play better and score more goals,” said Markov. The Russians came out sleepwalking, especially on the defensive side, and Belarus came ready to battle. At 7:27, Belarus jumped into a 1-0 lead when Andrei Mikhalev took a pass from Mikhail Grabovsky, dashed into the left faceoff circle and beat Biryukov on the short side. At 11:53, Dmitri Dudik took advantage of a brutal Sergei Fedorov turnover in the corner, scooping up the puck and moving in front of the net to lift the puck over Biryukov’s glove and make it 2-0. Sergei Zadelenov of Belarus took a double-minor for high-sticking Alexei Morozov, and the Russians went to work, dancing around the Belarusian zone with tons of puck possession. But the best chance in that four-minute span went to Andrei Kostitsyn, who sped in on Biryukov with a shorthanded break but couldn’t slide his backhander through the five-hole. Adding insult to injury, the Belarusians shot the puck in the net at the end of a 2-on-1 just after the first-period buzzer had sounded, inciting a scrum in the corner. It didn’t matter. They’d been outshot 18-5, but had scored on 40 percent of their shots. At the start of the second, Russia continued flubbing its chances, whether it was Ilya Kovalchuk firing wide on a one-timer or Alexander Ovechkin having the puck drift off his stick when he burst in alone on Koval. But at 23:54, Maxim Afinogenov managed to jam the rebound from Alexei Morozov’s point shot through Koval’s wickets, and it was 2-1. However, the Belarus goalie continued to shine. Koval stymied Kovalchuk, who went to the bench and threw his stick in disgust, and he slid across to get his blocker on a rocket by Ovechkin that had the crowd oohing and ahhing. “He played a great game today, there’s no question about that,” Markov said of Koval. Ovechkin tried to spark his team in the final minute of the second. But although he laid a big hit on Ruslan Salei behind the Belarus net and nearly tipped a puck through Koval’s legs, Belarus hung on to its one-goal lead. Ovechkin finally tied it up at 8:21 of the third when his wrister from the faceoff circle whizzed over the goalie’s right shoulder. Although the Belarusians continued with their steadfast defensive effort, they couldn’t prevent the go-ahead goal. Afinogenov swooped past the net and slid an Ovechkin rebound off the backboard just past the goal line with 6:09 left to play. That looked like it would be the winner. But Mikhail Grabovsky found Alexei Ugarov driving to the net on the rush, and Ugarov banged it in the open side to tie it up at 3-3 again at 56:12. Koval made a pair of fine back-to-back saves on Semin and Vitali Proshkin to preserve the deadlock, and Biryukov responded with a stunner of his own on Aleksandr Kulakov in the last 10 seconds. It was off to overtime. The Russians had the better chances in OT. Ilya Kovalchuk was left all alone in front of Koval early in the five-minute, 4-on-4 extra session, but could only tap the puck into the goalie’s pads. Maxim Sushinsky came close to ending it when he waltzed into the slot, zipping a shot at Koval and drawing a slashing penalty on Andrei Kostitsyn with 1:09 left. But the man advantage turned into nothing more than Fedorov vainly trying to feed Kovalchuk for a one-timer, and a shootout was required. Belarus won the right to shoot first, and it unfolded as follows (according to the IIHF game-winning shots procedure, in which three different shooters from each team take alternate shots until a decisive goal is scored--and if the game is still tied after three shots by each team, the GWS continues with a tie-break shootout by one player of each team, with the shooting order reversed): Round 1: BLR, Sergei Kostitsyn - Biryukov save. RUS, Mozyakin - goal, five-hole. Round 2: BLR, Meleshko - goal, high backhand deke. RUS, Morozov - high backhand deke. Round 3: BLR, Ugarov - Biryukov save on backhand attempt. Belarus has only won one previous game versus the Russians. The 1-0 victory came at the 2000 IIHF World Championship in St. Petersburg, and current assistant coach Vladimir Tsyplakov scored the decisive goal. “It’s not the first time we’ve played a tight game with them,” said Salei. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t win tonight. Still, it’s a breakthrough for our younger guys, who need to believe in themselves. We’ve got some pretty good guys up front. We need a little more on the back. I believe our national team has a future.” Next up for Russia is Sweden on Saturday, while Belarus confronts the Czech Republic that day. LUCAS AYKROYD www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/russia-ousts-belarus-in-shootout.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=760060d730Game summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 10, 2008 0:59:29 GMT -5
Slovakia cruises past Slovenia Slovakia looking good for 2009 - Slovenia in danger of being relegated to Division I after 5-1 loss. 09-05-08 HALIFAX – Slovakia gained the upper hand in the best-of-three relegation playoff with Slovenia by winning 5-1 at the Metro Centre this afternoon. The winner of the mini-series will qualify for the top level of the World Championship in Switzerland in 2009 while the loser will be relegated to Division I. Slovakia blew the game open with four goals in the second period. Leading the attack was Marcel Hossa with a goal and two assists. Slovakia outshot Slovenia, 50-11 and managed to keep the Slovenes' most dangerous threat, Anze Kopitar, on the periphery. "We were ready for this game," Slovakia's Rene Vydareny said. "We didn't think about anything else except this hockey game and how we were going to win. The opening goal came off a 5-on-3 power play with Dejan Varl and Marcel Rodman in the box. Lubomir Visnovsky’s point shot was tipped in front by Marcel Hossa, but goalie Robert Kristan made the save. The puck squirted through and landed on the stick of Robert Petrovicky who had an open net. "We were a little disappointed with the refs," Slovenia's Gregor Poloncic countered, "but still, you can't give a team like Slovakia a 5-on-3 opportunity." It was one of 18 shots fired at goalie Robert Kristan in the period. He was at his sensational best again, giving an otherwise outmanned team a chance to win. His teammates fired only four shots at Jan Lasak. It was more of the same in the second as Slovakia broke the game open with four goals. The first came on a play Kristan had no chance on. Juraj Kolnik had a quick two-on-one with Marcel Hossa in close. Kolnik held onto the puck until Kristan committed to the shot, and then made a quick pass to Hossa who pushed the puck into the open net. The third goal was similar. Visnovsky skated in on goal from the right side, spotted Andrej Podkonicky going hard to the net, and backhanded a pass right on the tape. Podkonicky merely had to deflect the puck past a helpless Kristan. Slovenia did not go down quietly. The team struck back with a goal of their own just three minutes later when Mitja Robar beat Lasak with a backhand through a scrum of bodies in front. The puck slipped through Lasak’s pads from a bad angle. Then, Andrej Kollar and Ivan Ciernik added two more goals to put the game well out of reach of the low-scoring Slovenes. Slovenia’s coach, Mats Waltin, inserted Andrej Hocevar for the final period, giving Kristan his first rest of the tournament. The two teams are right back at it tomorrow night in a do-or-die game for Slovenia. "I think they will be more ready tomorrow," Vydareny said of Slovenia, "so we better be ready to pick it up." ANDREW PODNIEKS www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/slovakia-cruises-past-slovenia.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=729bf704afGame summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 10, 2008 1:04:00 GMT -5
Advantage France The Blues edges Italy in first game of relegation round playoffs. 10-05-08 QUEBEC CITY – France took a step closer to the 2009 World Championships in Switzerland when it took a 3-2 win over Italy on Friday night. It didn't always look pretty but that didn’t matter tonight. The only thing that mattered was the win. Or, not losing. "You don't want to focus on the negative side of the equation, the fear of losing. You have to stay positive all the time," said French defenseman Baptiste Amar after the game. France seemed to be the better prepared team as it took command of the game in the first two shifts. Maybe the importance of the game had got to the French players, as they drew three penalties in short succession. Just as Yorick Treille was back on the ice, Antoine Lussier was sent off for tripping. And just 52 seconds after the French had killed off that penalty, Yorick Treille was back in the box. This time, the Italians didn’t waste any time. Giorgio De Bettin and Christian Borgatello zigzagged the puck through the French box to Jonathan Pittis who sent the puck behind Cristobal Huet in the French goal. Michele Strazzabosco got a tripping penalty 37 seconds later, giving the French their first powerplay of the night. It took France just 32 seconds to get the puck to Carter Trevisani who took a wrist shot from the point. The puck found its way through the traffic, and Gunther Hell was beat. The second period was a carbon copy of the first, with each team taking a hold of the game on powerplay in an otherwise surprisingly wide open game. "It's a game of mistakes and whoever makes most mistakes tends to lose. Tonight, both teams had a lot of turnovers, but France took their chances on powerplay," said Pittis. Cristobal Huet had a scare with 5:21 remaining in the period when a loose rebound bounced right back to an Italian forward whose shot Huet saved with a high kick. "We were really excited to get Huet to the team and he's been outstanding in every game, but that save was highlight reel material," said Baptiste Amar, who France's coach Dave Henderson relied heavily on. France's his first line center, Sebastien Bordeleau, and the two defensemen behind the first line, Vincent Bachet and Amar, logged over 23 minutes each, and Amar almost half the game, 27 minutes. Amar proved him right by getting the important 2-1 goal with only 30 seconds remaining in the second period, when he took a pass from Joathan Zwikel from behind the net and one-timed it behind Hell. "It won't be a problem to play tomorrow," said Amar. "The pace wasn't that high today. Besides, it's the same for them." "Yes, the coach was yelling my name a lot tonight," said former NHLer Bordeleau, grinning. "It was fun, it's fun to play a lot, and I'm used to playing back-to-back games in SC Bern where I play lot, too." Italy's chances of getting back into the game vanished with ten minutes remaining in the game when Luca Ansoldi got a penalty for tripping. Just 40 seconds into the French powerplay, Amar took a shot from the blueline, Hell dropped it, and Bordeleau lifted the rebound to the net for 3-1. "We had good traffic in front of the net, and the goalie didn't see anything. The puck came straight to me, and all I had to do was shoot it in," said Bordeleau. Italy pulled Hell with 30 seconds remaining, and Armin Helfer scored the 3-2 goal with 7.4 seconds remaining. That wasn't enough and now Italy must win tomorrow if they wish to stay in the top division. "We'll get our rest now, and fight back tomorrow. We will play on Tuesday," said Jonathan Pittis. RISTO PAKARINEN www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/advantage-france.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=386218718aGame summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 10, 2008 23:27:18 GMT -5
Czechs nip Belarus in shootout Gritty Belarusians are eliminated from quarter-finals contention 10-05-08 QUEBEC CITY – Sometimes approaching hockey like a chess grandmaster can be dangerous. The Czechs were almost too patient for their own good in a 3-2 Qualifying Round win over Belarus on Saturday, prevailing on identical shootout goals by Radim Vrbata and Ales Kotalik. Both Czech snipers moved in on goal and lifted high backhands over Belarus goalie Vitali Koval. Only Dmitry Meleshko could solve Milan Hnilicka at the other end. Failing to win in regulation time eliminated the diligent Belarusians from quarter-finals contention. The former Soviet republic previously made the final eight in 2006. “I am very proud of our Belarusian team,” said coach Curt Fraser. “We played a very good game, a very well-executed game plan, but when it comes to a shootout, it can go either way. We came very close to beating the Czechs for the very first time. The Belarusian team is improving, and we look forward to next year and competing for one of those eight spots.” For the second straight game, an elite nation required extra time to beat Belarus, which also lost 4-3 to Russia in a shootout on Friday. “We’re disappointed,” said Sergei Kostitsyn. “Everybody felt good, being able to play well against the Russians and the Czechs, but they beat us in shootouts.” Koval had another stellar outing in defeat, making 41 saves. Hnilicka needed just 16 for the win. Tomas Rolinek and Ales Kotalik also scored for the Czechs, and Tomas Plekanec had two assists. Yaroslav Chupris and Andrei Kostitsyn replied for Belarus. The Czechs smartly controlled most of the scoreless first period, outshooting their opponents 13-5 and barely letting Belarus penetrate their zone on its one power play. But it was the Belarusians who struck first at 18:12, as Chupris gobbled up a loose puck that Hnilicka had tried to push away from the crease, and lifted it over the goalie’s blocker. During an early second-period Czech man advantage, Koval was shaken up by a slapshot but stayed in the game. The Czechs kept playing keep-away all over the ice and Belarus strove to take away lanes and force them to the outside. Finally, the Czechs equalized the score when Rolinek dashed to the net on the rush with Plekanec and had a centering pass deflect in off his skate with 3:07 left in the second. The goal was reviewed, but stood since no distinct kicking motion was involved. Another video review occurred in the first minute of the final stanza, but there was no good news for Belarus, since the goal judge had inadvertently flicked his switch without the puck even close to crossing the line. Halfway through the third, Andrei Kostitsyn walked over the Czech blueline, and, using defenceman Zbynek Michalek as a partial screen, hammered a slapshot through Hnilicka for a 2-1 Belarus lead. With 6:22 left, the Czechs made it 2-2 when Kotalik barged to the front of the net and converted a Plekanec centering pass from behind the goal line. “Tonight we got the goals from the lines that people might not call offensive lines,” said Patrik Elias. “But they came through and it's a good sign for the team.” Jaroslav Hlinka had a great chance for the winner when he pounced on a puck that bounced off a skate behind the Belarus defence, but couldn’t beat Koval. The Czechs went to the power play with Salei in the box for slashing on the play, but couldn’t convert, and it was off to overtime. In the first minute, Hlinka sent Martin Erat in with a long stretch pass, which he slipped past Koval on the backhand, but the play was whistled offside. A scrum ensued and the faceoff went back to the Czech end, with Erat taking a misconduct out of frustration. The Czech Republic won the right to shoot first, and it unfolded as follows (according to the IIHF game-winning shots procedure, in which three different shooters from each team take alternate shots until a decisive goal is scored--and if the game is still tied after three shots by each team, the GWS continues with a tie-break shootout by one player of each team, with the shooting order reversed): Round 1: CZE, Vrbata - goal, high backhand deke. BLR, Andrei Kostitsyn - Hnilicka glove save. Round 2: CZE, Elias - Koval save on backhand deke. BLR, Meleshko - goal, high shot Round 3: CZE, Kotalik - goal, high backhand deke. BLR, Grabovsky - Hnilicka right pad save The Czechs have their final tune-up for the quarter-finals on Sunday versus Sweden, and Belarus completes its tournament Monday versus Denmark. “For Belarus the tournament is now practically over, but we'll play a great game, and win against Denmark, for our fans,” said Mikhail Grabovsky. LUCAS AYKROYD www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/czechs-nip-belarus-in-shootout.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=3ca6a452c0Game summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 10, 2008 23:31:36 GMT -5
Staal of fame game for Eric Eric Staal pops in four goals as Canada cruises to a 10-1 win over Germany. 10-05-08 HALIFAX – Team Canada may have found a second weapon to complement the Rick Nash line. The duo of Eric Staal and Martin St. Louis combined for four goals and ten scoring points today, leading their team to a 10-1 romp over Germany this afternoon at the Metro Centre before 9,182 fans. The win keeps Canada atop Group F with 12 points while Germany still has no points to show in the Qualification Round. Finland is second with eight points but has played one fewer game. Canada’s puck pursuit, along with aggressively getting in the lane of German shooters, keyed the victory at both ends of the ice. Staal had four goals and an assist to lead the way, and St. Louis had five assists. Dany Heatley added his tournament-leading seventh goal. Canada incurred just two minor penalties. "Obviously, you want to help out on the offensive side as much as you can," Staal said. "Tonight was one of those nights when the puck kept finding my stick and going in." "Maybe we had too much respect for them," German forward Christoph Schubert said after the game. "We made simple mistakes, and they took advantage of them." Jason Spezza finally got the scoring monkey off his back at 5:14 of the first period when he took a pass in centre ice, skated down the right side, and after faking a pass to Jason Chimera in the middle fooled goalie Dimitrij Kotschnew with a low shot between the pads. It was Spezza’s first goal and only second point of the tournament. Canada went up 2-0 on a great play by defenceman Dan Hamhuis. He blocked a long outlet pass at his own blueline by going down on one knee and controlling the puck with his glove, then pushed the puck ahead to Heatley. Heatley entered the German end at moderate speed and then turned on the afterburners and blew by the defence. Kotschnew stopped the first shot but Heatley poked in the rebound for the goal. Then it was the Eric Staal-Martin St. Louis-Derek Roy line that started to click. St. Louis made a nice touch pass from behind the net to Staal in front, and again the goalie made the first save but his defence didn’t help out and Staal buried the rebound. "We've been working hard in practise to get the chemistry together," Roy said of his line. "We missed a bunch of chances in our last few games. It was time to get things going." If that wasn’t enough, Canada added a fourth goal with 22.8 seconds left in the period when Patrick Sharp’s pass to the side of the goal deflected off a German skate and past a surprised Kotschnew. The 4-0 lead pretty much sealed the victory. German coach Uwe Krupp replaced Kotschnew with Robert Mueller to start the second, but Mueller put in an awful period for the Germans, allowing five goals. Staal scored a highlight-reel goal at 3:42 on the power play. He took a nice little touch pass from St. Louis along the right boards, dipsy-doodled past two defenders, and buried a shot to the far side to make it 5-0. Midway through the period, Staal completed his hat trick by jamming home a loose puck that Mueller couldn’t hold, and a few minutes later Derek Roy popped home a loose puck as well. Staal’s fourth was a one-handed swat at a rebound, but the ninth goal was the worst. Mueller mishandled the puck behind his goal while the Germans were on the power play, shooting the puck around the boards to Jamal Mayers who deposited it into the empty net. "It was just reaction," Staal said of his final goal. "THe puck was just lying there and I just swatted at it with one hand. It was one of those nights when things like that happen." Mike Green added a goal in the third to finish the scoring for Canada. Frank Hordler scored the only goal for the Germans when it was 10-0, making a superb dash down the ice and getting a lucky bounce off Hamhuis's stick and past goalie Cam Ward. "We weren't mentally ready," Schubert admitted. "We sat there in the morning watching tape. We know how we can play." Canada plays its final game of the Qualification Round on Monday against Finland, a game that will likely decide who finishes first in the group. This has significant implications because the top team will play the fourth team in the group, almost certain to be Norway or Latvia, while the second place team will face a tougher opponent in either Finland or United States. Germany finishes its tournament later on Monday against Latvia. ANDREW PODNIEKS www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/staal-of-fame-game-for-eric.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=2218719601Game summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 10, 2008 23:35:08 GMT -5
Russian guns on stun Long time coming, Ovechkin finally scores big. 11-05-08 QUEBEC CITY – Alexander Ovechkin did it all tonight, but most of all, he won the game for Russia with six seconds on the clock, beating Henrik Lundqvist, and making it 3-2 for Russia. Sweden got an early lead just seven seconds after Dimitry Vorobyev’s penalty ended, on an extended powerplay play when Tony Martensson found Matias Weinhandl open in the slot. Weinhandl turned and banged a wrist shot past Evgeny Nabokov, in the battle of the Vezina candidates. The intensity of the game didn’t go down after Douglas Murray checked Alexei Morozov out of the game after just ten minutes of play. Murray received a game misconduct for the hit, as did Sweden’s Anton Stralman and Russia’s Ilya Kovalchuk for a fight that ensued. "I thought it was a clean hit, I hit him on the chest and shoulder area," said Douglas Murray who will now face an automatic one-game suspension. "We’re all men, and hockey is a tough game. You have to be ready. Anything can happen. You’re battling to be first in the group. I think it’ll be even tougher in the elimination games, because everybody will be hitting," said Alexander Radulov. With Niclas Wallin suspended and Kenny Jonsson out of the lineup due to back problems, Sweden had only four defensemen for the remaining 50 minutes. Forward Johan Andersson took a step down later in the game, having only one game as a defenseman under his belt, five years ago, in the Swedish second division. That gave Russia the keys to the game, but instead of capitalizing on Murray’s five-minute penalty, Alexander Ovechkin and Maxim Afinogenov were sent to the penalty box, and the Russian powerplay dried up. Instead, two Russian penalties at the end of the period gave the Swedes a 5-on-3 powerplay to start the second period with. Back on the ice, Ovechkin drew another penalty, his third of the night. Again, Sweden had 5-on-3 powerplay. The second period was calmer, and the game returned to its original script: Russia attacked, Sweden was waiting for the Russian forwards in the neutral zone, waiting for a chance to strike back. "I think we stuck to the game plan well tonight, and played as a team, as we were supposed to," said Lundqvist. At 32:14, Russia got its chance. Alexander Semin delivered the puck to Ovechkin. Lundqvist got a piece of the shot, but dropped the puck and Semin was there to tip it in. In the last minute, Sweden struck: Jonas Frogren’s shot from the blueline bounced to the front of the net where Martensson was waiting to lift it in for 2-1. In the first shift of the third period, Swedish acting captain Nicklas Backstrom tripped his Capitals linemate Ovechkin, giving Russia a chance to tie the game on powerplay but Semin’s shot in the post was the closest they got to beating Lundqvist. That goal did come, a few minutes later, at 44.57, when Sergei Fedorov grabbed Denis Zaripov’s rebound, and dumped it behind Lundqvist. Sweden seemed to be able to push back the Russians, until their big guns hit. Alexander Ovechkin got the winner, driving frustrated and disappointed Lundqvist to break his stick on the crossbar. Russian goalie Evgeny Nabokov was happy to be at the World Championship. "I heard the fans cheering. It was a great atmosphere today," he said. "Ovechkin, Semin, and Sergei [Fedorov] are our leaders. They are the backbone of our team, and I think they even have to be better, if it’s possible. I don’t know if it’s possible. But "Ovie" was the best player for about seven months! So I think he’s kind of used to it." RISTO PAKARINEN www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/russian-guns-on-stun.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=5462ad09adGame summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 10, 2008 23:40:26 GMT -5
Visnovsky helps Slovakia avoid relegation An unexpectedly thrilling contest ends with first game decided by shootout in Halifax. 11-05-08 HALIFAX – Slovakia defeated Slovenia 4-3 on a Lubomir Visnovsky shootout goal to complete a two-game sweep and avoid relegation. The win that keeps Slovakia up and now focused on the 2009 World Championships after a disappointing showing here in Halifax. "We knew this would be much more difficult than yesterday," said Juraj Kolnik. "They had nothing to lose. We got lucky but I think the better team won." Slovenia heads back down to Division I. Despite having demonstrated why he is one of the rising young talents in the NHL, Anze Kopitar could not carry Slovenia by himself, though he tried. Team Slovenia scored a total of six goals in the tournament; Kopitar had three of them. Kopitar led his team in scoring with four points in six games. Slovakia took a 1-0 lead as Kolnik beat goaltender Andrej Hocevar with a clean, hard slap shot at 7:42 into the period. For Kolnik it was his third goal of the tournament. Both teams traded chances in the first as shots on goal were fairly even. Slovenia outshot Slovakia 12-10. Slovenia tied the score on a Marjan Manfreda goal. Manfreda scored on a two-on-one as he skated in on goal determined to make the shot rather than attempt a pass across, which was the high percentage option. Manfreda beat Lasak stick side to tie the game. With the score tied, Slovakia would have to rely on its core leaders to step it up and provide offense. And in the second period its leaders would indeed establish a presence. A mad scramble in front saw captain Robert Petrovicky score the go-ahead goal. Marcel Hossa and Ivan Ciernik assisted on the goal, which came with 8:35 remaining in the period. Assistant captain Visnovsky scored a beautiful backhander. Visnovsky took a pass from Ciernik and moved in alone on Hocevar. Showing slick hands, Visnovsky fooled Hocevar who did not stand a chance. David Rodman made it 3-2 after using Ivan Majesky as a screen. Rodman’s shot looked like it was redirected off Majesky’s stick and past Lasak’s glove had. From Lasak’s reaction, he did not appear as though he’d seen the shot. Things continued in this way until Kopitar once again stepped up to demonstrate leadership for his team. Kopitar scored on a slap shot that blew past Lasak, who did not have his usual solid game, to tie the score at three. In the overtime session, Slovakia came out putting pressure in the offensive zone and keeping the action in the Slovenian end. The best chance came from Marcel Hossa whose point blank shot his Hocevar on his blocker. Despite the flurry of action, the game went to a shootout. Slovenia won the right to shoot first, and it unfolded as follows (according to the IIHF game-winning shots procedure, in which three different shooters from each team take alternate shots until a decisive goal is scored--and if the game is still tied after three shots by each team, the GWS continues with a tie-break shootout by one player of each team, with the shooting order reversed): Round 1: SLO, Kopitar - Lasak save. SVK, Kolnik - goal, backhand high. Round 2: SLO, Razingar - goal, between pads. SVK, Hossa - Hocevar save. Round 3: SLO, Rodman - Lasak save. SVK, Visnovsky – goal wrist shot high save. Visnovsky’s score in Round 3 saves Slovakia from having to play another game. The best-of-three relegation format is one where Slovakia certainly wanted to avoid going into a do-or-die game three situation. "I think we failed this year for the people who were behind us and the fans back home," said a disappointed Kolnik. "I think we just have to forget about it and look towards next year." JOHN SANFUL www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/visnovsky-helps-slovakia-avoid-relegation.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=7c91f162beGame summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 10, 2008 23:42:56 GMT -5
Ciao, Italia France takes second win to clinch top division spot for next year. 11-05-08 QUEBEC CITY – The whites were blue and the blues were white, but the rest of the game looked just like the one 24 hours earlier. Italy dominated big parts of the game, but France got the necessary goals on powerplay, to win the game 6-4, booking a ticket to the 2009 World Championship in Berne, Switzerland. Italy’s coach Michel Goulet had decided to start Thomas Tragust in goal. Italy seemed well prepared for the game and it also got the start it wanted when Jason Cirone gave it 1-0 lead, tipping in a rebound. Just as in the first relegation round game between the teams, Italy took penalties, and French capitalized on the powerplay. Just like yesterday, coach Dave Henderson was yelling Baptiste Amar’s and Sebastien Bordeleau’s names a lot, pushing their ice time over 20 minutes again. And just like yesterday, they delivered. First, at 8:13, Bordeleau sent a long pass to the blueline to Amar who scored the equalizer on the first French powerplay. Five minutes later, France had another powerplay, and Amar and Bordeleau zigzagged the puck to Yorick Treille who beat Tragust to give the French the lead after the first period. Italy started the second period in just as determined fashion as the first one, but Jonathan Zwikel pushed Italy against the wall by giving France 3-1 lead after a well executed 2-on-1 attack. Michel Goulet pulled Tragust and sent in Gunther Hell, in an effort to shake up his team. It worked. For a while. Italy pulled closer after Andre Signoretti scored a shorthanded goal at 26:12 when he took a slapshot on the third rebound and buried the puck behind Cristobal Huet. The momentum seemed to shift to Italy who even got two chances to score on powerplay. Unfortunately for them, France managed to kill both penalties. The third period was dramatic. First, the French seemed to put the game away when Julien Desrosiers scored after just one minute, finishing his end-to-end rush with a shot that beat Hell low on the stickside. Two minutes and 57 seconds later, Italy scored 4-3 when Pat Iannone lifted a rebound into the net, and just 58 seconds later, France’s Yorick Treille followed Francois Rozenthal’s shot and sent the puck in off his pads. The play was reviewed by the video goal judge. "We played two games and we worked extremely hard, and sometimes it's the little things that trip you up," said Italy's Mario Chitarroni. "I think we played well in a lot of aspects of the game, but we gave up good scoring chances. Over the two games, their power play worked extremely well, and we struggled on our penalty kill." With 8:58 remaining, Bordeleau gave Italy a three-goal lead. He lifted the puck high, sending it bouncing towards Hell who fumbled. Bordeleau was first at the rebound, tipping it in for 6-3. Jonathan Tippis kept the Italian hopes up, scoring 6-4 on a powerplay with three minutes remaining, but that was as close as Italy got. "At that stage you're not giving up, but you're praying for a miracle, and nine times out of ten it doesn't happen," said Chitarroni. The French team was delirious with happiness after the game. "It's perfect," said Bordeleau. "Now the goal is for us to stay in the top group. The grand finale tonight will be my best memory of the tournament." The Italians were disappointed, naturally. "It's tough, because we prepared extremely well, and at the end, we ran into a goaltender that's a little above our level. He did what he was supposed to do," said Chitarroni. RISTO PAKARINEN www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/ciao-italia.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=a606e03520Game summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 11, 2008 20:36:35 GMT -5
Latvia moves closer to quarters Latvia's 4-1 win over Norway keeps quarterfinal hopes alive 11-05-08 HALIFAX – Herberts Vasiljevs scored the go-ahead goal late in the first period to send Latvia to a 4-1 win over Norway. The win moves the Latvians closer to Norway for the fourth and final playoff spot. Latvia can clinch fourth spot and a place in the quarter-finals with a win over Germany tomorrow night. Norway must beat the tougher United States team in the afternoon game or have Germany beat Latvia in regulation time to gain that final playoff position. "It was great we scored three goals early," said Mikelis Redlihs, who scored the third Latvian goal. "We tried to focus on the game and play hard." "We weren't as prepared today. We were behind them all the way," admitted Norwegian forward Anders Bastiansen. "We couldn't get the puck on net, even when there were key people in front. Latvia blocked a lot of shots, but there's a lot we did wrong today as well." Latvia drew first blood at 11:34 of the first period on a two-on-one with Janis Sprukts and Martins Cipulis. Sprukts carried the puck in on goal and made a perfect pass to Cipulis who finished the play by beating goalie Pal Grotnes. Just 82 seconds later, the Norwegians tied it up on a nice play by Anders Bastiansen. He controlled the puck inside the Latvian blueline before delivering a soft pass to Jonas Holos at the point. His slapshot was beautifully tripped by Lars Erik Spets as he skated through the slot in front of Edgars Masalskis in the Latvian net. The Latvians regained the lead at 17:22 when the right-handed shooting Herberts Vasiljevs came off the left boards, cut to the side of a Norwegian defenceman and let go a quick shot that fooled Grotnes to the stick side. Mikelis Redlihs upped the count to 3-1 early in the second period. Standing almost at the goal line, he waited for Grotnes to go down and fired a shot to the far side from an angle the goalie couldn’t have expected a goal. The score came at 2:27 and seemed to demoralize Norway. Latvia controlled the rest of the period, and although it didn’t score again the 3-1 leads after 40 minutes seemed secure. In the third period, the Norwegians tried to mount a rally but Latvia played textbook defence and controlled play in their own end. Masalskis shut the door in goal, playing his best hockey of the tournament to date when it mattered most. Lauris Darzins added an empty-net goal to complete the scoring. "We need to relax but be focused and prepare for the Germans," Redlihs noted, looking ahead to the team's critical game tomorrow. "We have to get back to the basics, the way we were playing earlier in the tournament," Bastiansen offered in reference to his team's narrow 2-1 loss to Canada and 3-2 overtime loss to Finland earlier in the tournament. "We have to limit chances to the other team, and let our goalie see the shots." ANDREW PODNIEKS www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/latvia-moves-closer-to-quarters.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=afd8627058Game summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 11, 2008 20:39:08 GMT -5
Savvy Swiss dump Danes DiPietro leads attack with three-point game 11-05-08 QUEBEC CITY – In this battle of two nations with red-and-white flags, it was Denmark that wound up waving the white flag as Switzerland triumphed 7-2 at the Colisée on Sunday afternoon. Against Denmark, Switzerland looked like a “Big Seven” nation. They thoroughly dominated, physically, positionally, and skating-wise, and outshot the Danes 54-20. The Swiss, who are bound for the quarter-finals, now have nine points, while Denmark remains pointless in Group E of the Qualifying Round. Paul DiPietro led the Swiss attack with a goal and two assists, while Thierry Paterlini and Phillipe Furrer added a goal and a helper apiece. Andres Ambuhl, Sandy Jeannin, Marc Reichert and Beat Forster also scored. Thomas Deruns and Goran Bezina both picked up a pair of assists. “We came out strong, and got an early lead, and played the same way we're going to play tomorrow [against Russia]: try to shut them down and play hard,” said DiPietro. “We had a little letdown in the third period, but it was a pretty good team effort.” Morten Madsen and Kim Staal replied for Denmark. Ambuhl opened the scoring for Switzerland at 2:10 when he split the Danish defence and put a forehand deke past netminder Patrick Galbraith. Less than two minutes later, Julien Vauclair’s slick cross-crease feed was converted by Jeannin for a 2-0 lead. Even when Denmark got back-to-back power plays in the second half of the period, they weren’t strong on the puck, and the Swiss created several potentially dangerous shorthanded rushes. “The way we’ve lost against the Swedes and the Swiss is disappointing,” said Danish captain Jesper Damgaard. “We can’t fall apart when the other team gets an early lead. We have to stick to the system. This is not good enough.” In the second period, the Swiss poured it on like the Reichenbach Falls. Just 50 seconds in, Reichert coolly snapped a shot from the left faceoff dot over Galbraith’s right shoulder to make it 3-0. Galbraith got a little satisfaction when he stopped Patrik Bartschi on a penalty shot under a minute later. The Danes thought they’d gotten on the board shortly before the midway mark when defenceman Daniel Nielsen charged to the net and put the puck in off his skate. The play was video-reviewed, and referees Daniel Piechaczek and Chris Savage decided to nullify the goal. At 31:01, the Swiss put the game out of reach at 4-0 when DiPietro deftly set up Paterlini on a 2-on-1 break, giving Galbraith no chance as he slid across. At 33:21, DiPietro cruised into the slot, took a Paterlini pass, and snapped it past Galbraith’s blocker side to make it 5-0. Philippe Furrer’s blueline blast early in the third period put Switzerland up by six. Denmark’s Morten Madsen then managed to bank in a shot off Bezina’s leg to spoil Martin Gerber’s shutout bid. Bezina’s difficulties were compounded when he yanked down Peter Regin on a breakaway, resulting in a penalty shot. Kim Staal was chosen to take it, and he made no mistake, speeding in on goal and lofting a high backhand past Gerber at 45:26 to make it 6-2. Beat Forster made it 7-2 at 46:20 when he picked up his own rebound along the goal line to Galbraith’s left and knifed it past the netminder. Galbraith was chosen as the Danish Player of the Game, while DiPietro got the glory for Switzerland. “We didn’t deliver the way we should have,” said Galbraith. “We have to bounce back tomorrow and give it all we’ve got in the last game.” Switzerland faces a tougher test to close out the Qualifying Round on Monday, taking on unbeaten Russia. Denmark will play for pride and placement versus Belarus later that day. LUCAS AYKROYD www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/savvy-swiss-dump-danes.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=fb18a53c9aGame summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 11, 2008 20:45:19 GMT -5
Finns rally to defeat USA Mikko Koivu's third period game winner is the difference maker for Finland in 3-2 win. 11-05-08 HALIFAX – Finland’s third period attack fuels 3-2 comeback over Team USA and keeps hopes of winning Group F of the Qualifying Round at the 2008 IIHF World Championships alive. In a game marred by penalties and an end of game scrum, a late goal by Mikko Koivu with 3:50 remaining gives Finland the win. "This was the first real test for us," said Ville Peltonen. "We killed off a lot of penalties and came back to win." Finland was left without the services of one of its top six forwards when Olli Jokinen was booted from the game after a checking from behind penalty late in the first period on Tim Gleason. In the first frame, Finland enjoyed the best chances of the period with some early and frenzied action in the USA zone. Finland outshot Team USA 8-4. The American power play that has been so effective throughout the tournament was unable to get going on this golden opportunity. Tom Gilbert opened scoring in the second period. Gilbert had drifted in from his spot on the point to pick up a loose puck in from of the net and deposit it home for a 1-0 lead. In the closing minute of the second Kessel added a power play goal for good measure. Kessel’s pinpoint shot went far side high on Niklas Backstrom with 45 seconds remaining. It was his fourth goal of the tournament, which leads the team. With the number of penalties called against Finland the American power play could not convert. The power play has been an asset for their side thus far in the tournament but could not get things going today. In the third, the Finns become more desperate in their attack that led to some of their best chances of the game but Robert Esche continued coming up strong. The bulk of the period was spent in the American zone as Finland worked the puck low in creating chances and drawing penalties. Finland got on the board when Ville Koistinen scored on the first power play off a feed from Saku Koivu. The goal was a game changer as the momentum carried over to the Finnish side. With 9:16 remaining Selanne tied the game and made the crowd come alive when he positioned himself perfectly off to Esche’s left side near the net. Saku Koivu’s precise pass was on the tape and Selanne need only direct it in. Koivu had two assists in the period. Despite a timeout by the Americans, Finland continued to attack and their confidence grew with each wave. "We weren't keeping it simple anymore, and it cost us." Said Gilbert of the American performance in the third. "There were a lot of penalties called both ways so it was tough to get into any sort of rhythm." Mikko Koivu’s goal was the final touch to bring Finland all the way back in what was its best clutch performance of the tournament. "We always know we have a chance to win if we play our game," said Selanne. At the end of the game there was a melee with players getting into physical confrontations, including a fight between David Backes and Anssi Salmela, who was bloodied. Both received match penalties. "It's a hockey game you can't expect not to get hit out there," said Gilbert. Matt Greene and Antti-Jussi Niemi both received leaving the bench penalties and game misconducts. Teemu Selanne was assessed roughing minors; Dustin Brown was assessed a checking to the head and neck minor and a misconduct. For Jokinen, Backes, and Salmela, their match penalties draw an automatic one-game suspension. All three will miss their team's next game, and their actions are subject to automatic review which will take place on Tuesday, the day before the quarter-finals. Jokinen and Salmela will be lost for Finland's next game against Canada to decide the winner of Group F. Backes will be lost for Team USA's game against Norway. Both teams play tomorrow at the Halifax Metro Centre. NOTE: The IIHF formally acknowledged after the game that Koistinen's shot had, indeed, entered the side of the net and should not have counted, and the video-goal judge will not be working for the rest of the tournament. JOHN SANFUL www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/finns-win-amid-controversy.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=1983528f7cGame summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 11, 2008 20:48:10 GMT -5
Sweden steps up Don't count us out, says Team Sweden, then takes big win over the Czechs. 12-05-08 QUEBEC CITY – Sweden and the Czech Republic played goal tag for three periods, taking turns in scoring goals. Swedes got the last word en route to a 4-3 win. In the first period, the teams were simply sizing each other. With six penalties called, the pace of the game wasn’t as high as in either team’s previous games. Five minutes into the game, Czech goalie Milan Hnilicka showed that he's still a more than adequate goalie for the World Championships when he stopped Per Ledin’s shot from right in front of the net, taking care of the rebound as well. The Czechs got their big break with five minutes remaining the first period when first Daniel Fernholm got a penalty for hooking, and then 56 seconds later, Magnus Johansson sent the puck over the boards, giving the Czechs a 5-on-3 powerplay. Coach Alois Hadamczik let Patrik Elias’s line play the entire powerplay, with meager results. Or, no results. Six minutes into the second period, the Czechs were struggling to get the puck out of their zone when Anton Stralman grabbed it and drove toward the net. Hnilicka stopped his backhander, but Stralman followed his own shot and dumped the rebound into the net. A minute later on a Czech powerplay, Tomas Kaberle’s slapshot from the blueline hit Elias’s stick on the way, and the puck was deflected to the net to tie the game at 1-1. At 33:32, Nils Ekman carried the puck into the Czech zone, then sent it to his right where Marcus Nilson was dricing towards the net. Nilson took a wrist shot from the top of the circle and the puck found its way through Hnilicka’s five-hole, with Daniel Fernholm creating traffic right in fornt of Hnilicka, blocking his view. Three seconds later, Radek Vrbata was sent to the penalty box for high sticking, giving Sweden momentum of the game, but the Czech penalty killing unit didn’t have problems, as the Swedish powerplay managed just one shot on goal in the two minutes. Elias and Kaberle were at it again at 38:26 when the Czechs got a 4-on-3 powerplay. Kaberle sent a cross-ice pass to Elias, who sent the puck to the front of the net where Ales Kotalik steered it in for 2-2, The Swedish version of Kaberle - Elias hit back. Tony Martensson got the puck on the red line, carried it over the blue line, then dished a pass to Matias Weinhandl – Sweden’s leading scorer in the tournament and Martensson’s linemate in the Swedish Elite League as well – who snapped a wristshot that beat Hnilicka for 3-2, at 41.14. Swedish goalie Henrik Lundqvist’s goals against average in the two games he had played in the tournament before tonight’s game, was 2.00. It is now 2.33 after Tomas Fleiscmann tied the game with a wrist shot from the slot at 49.21. But the Swedes still had one more goal in them. Nicklas Backtrom took the puck the into the Czech zone, passed it to Robert Nilsson whose shot got blocked by Patric Hornqvist in front of the net. Hornqvist grabbed the puck and snapped it in off the post at 55.07. Marcus Nilson got his second of the night when he sent the puck to an empty Czech net with 26 seconds remaining. Probably the teams will face each other again soon. If Russia gets the expected three points against Switzerland tomorrow, the pairings will be Russia vs. Switzerland and Sweden vs. Czech Republic. RISTO PAKARINEN www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/sweden-steps-up.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=0016b7db58Game summaryRosters
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Post by Terry on May 13, 2008 15:43:35 GMT -5
Dubie Dubie Does USA recovers from last night's loss as Brandon Dubinsky scores hat trick in 9-1 win over Norway. HALIFAX – Team USA rebounded this afternoon to beat Norway 9-1 in their final game of the Qualifying Round. There were no ill effects or signs of letdown from last night’s game against Finland. Indeed, Team USA played their game. A hat trick by Brandon Dubinsky paced the Americans playing their second game inside of 24 hours. "I think we've been playing well all tournament except last night against Finland" said American head coach John Tortorella. "It was really good to get out there today in the first game and move on form last night." The Americans wasted little time in establishing a clear and dominant presence in the first period. Their scoring chances were quality, taking 16 shots and making those opportunities count. "I think the way we played today was because of too much disappointment from yesterday," said Norwegian captain Tommy Jakobsen. "There were too many individual efforts and we stopped playing as a team." Dubinsky scored his first World Championship goal 11:12 into the game, giving Team USA the lead. Adam Burish added the assist. At 12:15 Dustin Brown fired a wrist shot over goaltender Pal Grotnes to make it 2-0, and the Americans were on their way. Patrick Kane scored a third from a pass across the slot from Zach Parise that slid through Jonas Holos and Grotnes onto Kane’s stick. Kane is enjoying an impressive World Championship debut to go along with a solid rookie campaign with the Chicago Black Hawks. The goal was his third of the tournament. By the second Team USA extended their lead and their dominance over Norway by picking up the attack and adding even more pressure in Norway’s end of the ice. A fourth goal was added when Grotnes could not hold on to Keith Ballard’s slapshot from the point. The puck fell from his glove into the crease where Dubinsky was there on the doorstep to tap it in. The Norwegians were back on their heels, unable to generate anything until a 5-on-3 advantage produced a goal. A great point shot by Mats Trygg made it 4-1. For Trygg it was a power play goal and his first of the tournament. Marius Holtet got an assist. The Americans went back to business as usual with Paul Martin and Parise scoring to make it 6-1. After Brown and Kessel added early goals in the third, Grotnes was replaced in goal with Ruben Smith. Kessel’s goal was a thing of beauty as Kane broke in on the wing and made a spin-o-rama move and then a no look pass to Kessel. It was a bang bang play sure to make any tournament highlight tape. "Simply, today we got spanked," said Jakobsen. The United States plays the loser of the Canada-Finland game. Norway must now hope for Germany to come up with a big win over Latvia if they are to make the quarterfinals. JOHN SANFUL www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/dubie-dubie-does.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1595&cHash=8ef255c1dfGame summaryRosters
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