Captain Shane Doan and his teammates can't stop smiling after winning Canada's third gold since 2003

By Andrew Podnieks

KHODYNKA--The roads to Quebec City and Halifax are paved with gold after Canada won its third IIHF World Championship in five years and 24th gold all-time tonight by outplaying Finland with clinical precision in the May 13 finale in Moscow.

The score was 4-2, but make no mistake--Canada was in control virtually from the drop of the puck to the final horn. Cam Ward was in net for Canada and made 20 saves for the win. Tournament MVP Rick Nash led the way with two goals.

Canada now goes home to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the IIHF with the daunting task of defending its gold medal on home ice, something that has been done only once before in 72 World Championships. The Soviets won in 1978 in Prague and then defended their title the next year in Moscow. Only four other teams have had a chance to do the same, but none was successful.

	Colby Armstrong scored Canada's second-period winner

The Finns have now lost five important international gold medal games since winning their only World Championship gold in 1995--three World Championships (2001, 1999, 1998), one Olympics (2006), and one World Cup (2004).

Canada's win today was remarkably efficient. You could count on one hand the number of defensive-zone miscues by the Canadians, and on the other hand you could tally the good scoring chances by the Finns and still have fingers left over.

Canada's puck pressure was too much for the opposition, who appeared tired after their emotional 2-1 upset of the Russians the day before. Goalie Kari Lehtonen, who had been so brilliant here in Moscow, had an untimely off-day in the crease, recording 14 saves on 18 Canadian shots.

Kari Lehtonen struggled in the final, making 14 saves on 18 shots

Canada opened the scoring on the power play thanks to two fine solo efforts by Jordan Staal and Rick Nash. In Staal's case, he deked Toni Soderholm out of his jock on a one-on-one situation, and the Finnish defenceman had no choice but to haul him down and take a penalty. On the ensuing power play, Nash came off the side boards, went straight to the net on his off wing and drilled a great shot off the far post and in past Lehtonen at 6:30.

If Soderholm's penalty was "good" in the sense that he prevented a great scoring chance, the interference penalty that Tuomo Ruutu took at 12:17 was senseless. He knocked down Colby Armstrong who was 30 metres from the puck, and his team paid a dear price for that act.

Justin Williams made a great play at the blueline to bat the puck out of mid-air on a clearing attempt, and the puck landed on Mike Cammalleri's stick. He made a beautiful touch pass to Eric Staal, and his deft deke fooled Lehtonen. The 2-0 deficit after 20 minutes was a serious cause for concern for the Finns. In the last four games, Canada had now outscored the opposition in the first period by an incredible 10-0.

The Canadians had an excellent chance to blow the game open early in the second with a lerngthy 5-on-3, but they came up empty and the Finns, not looking very confident, were still just a shot away from making a game of it.

That all changed when Lehtonen flubbed a routine shot from the top of the circle by Armstrong off a simple drop pass by Jordan Staal. The puck went under his glove, and with the 3-0 lead, Canada looked to have pretty much wrapped up the gold medal. Canada was playing with such poise and was in such control, it seemed impossible that Finland could rally. Lehtonen was having a bad game at the worst possible time. He was not alone among his teammates, though.

The Finns finally generated some momentum with less than 10 minutes to go. Petri Kontiola broke Ward's shutout at 11:08  when he ripped a loose puck past the goalie's glove after the first true bit of sloppiness by the Canadians in their own end.

Finland really made things interesting with a goal at 17:44 off another scrambly play, Antti Miettinen whacking home a loose puck with Ward out of position to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Nash ensured the gold medal with a spectacular goal with 1:06 to go, fighting off defenseman Pekka Saravo on a breakaway and beating Lehtonen with a great deke. It might have been the goal of the tournament.

NOTES: Although the game was sold out, the absence of the home side ensured more empty seats than usual...Jonathan Toews became the first Canadian to win gold at both the World Juniors and World Championships in the same year...Canada now owns four of the five major world titles--World champions, World Junior champions, World Women's, and Olympic women's...the success of Steve Yzerman's first foray as a general manager at the national level greatly increases the likelihood that his name will be added to the mix for possible 2010 Olympic candidates...with the gold medal victory, Canada leapfrogs over Finland in the World Rankings. Canada is now second and the Finns third...

Eric Staal is already thinking about playing for Canada at the 2010 Olympics

After Team Canada captured the 2007 title with a convincing win over Finland at Khodynka Arena on May 13, IHWC.NET's reporters caught up with both sides for in-depth post-game reaction.

CANADA

Eric Staal: "We got better as the tournament went on. We got off to a good start tonight, and we needed to just keep going at them. Any time a team comes back from 3-0 to 3-2, it's a bit nerve-wracking, but we settled down.We have a passion for the game in Canada, and we come here for one reason only--to win. This is a tough tournament of nine games and you have to get to know each other quickly. It is a different element, but it is championship hockey, and it's about getting to know different people and playing good hockey. It is great to have this gold medal on my neck and the Stanley Cup last year. Now I just have to get that gold medal at the Olympics in 2010. Then I will have all three."

Jordan Staal: "Every kid's dream in Canada is to win. Every time we put the jersey on, it's an honor to play. We feel we have to play well because we know everyone in Canada is watching. You have to give them credit. They didn't give up. It's amazing at this level to play with him [brother Eric]. Even back in the day we were usually of different teams, so to play a bit with him tonight was special. We came out strong. We got a little nervous when they made the game close, but you see that every game, and we had to deal with it."

Rick Nash: "It was tough. When they made it close we maybe panicked a bit, but Andy settled us down.It would have been nice to play Russia. We did our half, but Finland had a great game yesterday and deserved to be here. When we first came together, we didn't really know what to expect. We owe Andy a lot. We got better every game."

Shane Doan: "This is a tough trophy to win, but we have a lot of good players in Canada to choose from. It's our only sport, really."

Eric Brewer: "Because of the playoffs, we always have a different team here every year, but we have a lot of players with experience in World Juniors and Under-18. We may be a young team, but we have a lot of skill. We played well all game, even though they found a few things late in the game. We got the start we wanted. We have a big, strong team and we pressured their defense. I think our defense, though, is the most underrated part of the team. The coaches kept the pairings together, and the more we played together the better we got."

Matt Lombardi: "This is awesome. You can't ask for more than winning a gold medal. You work to get to the finals and have a chance to win and everyone came to play. We put out a great team effort today. The tournament is a bit of a grind, especially for guys coming off long seasons. Guys make sacrifices coming over here. They could just stay home, but every guy who was here wanted to be here. We had a special group. Every guy played their game and chipped in different ways. It was an honor playing with these guys. I think as a team we got better with every game. Canada is known for their slow starts in this tournament. We battled and found ways to win, that was the key for us."

Colby Armstrong: "In the third period when they scored we stayed composed and stayed with it. We come all this way so there is no sense in squeezing everything so tight now. They got a few goals pressuring us really hard and Cam made a few big saves. Obviously Nash got that big goal in the last couple of minutes, which was huge. He's a great player for us and got big goals when we needed him. It is different playing over here, and some of the calls are different from the NHL, so there is a little bit of an adjustment. Sometimes in the tournament we were a little too over-aggressive and it cost us a little bit, but we made the adjustments and in the end it turned out great for us. It was a really big goal for me, and what a great feeling! I am just glad I could put one in for our team. All tournament I was just chipping it off the boards and it was great to finally get a shot and score. I hope this experience has some carry-over effect for me into the next season. I will try my best to get ready this summer for the start of next season, but I am just going to enjoy this right now."

Jonathan Toews: "This is unbelievable. I am just happy to be here. When you start, you never look too far ahead to the gold medal, you just take it step by step. I feel I improved every game and just did my part. It was a great team effort. My role is different on this team than on the World Junior team, but it is awesome to win with this team, as well as getting to know these guys over the few weeks we were together. I think Andy Murray and our coaching staff did a great job preparing us for every team we played along the way and knowing who their key players were. We have great leadership in the room from Mayers, Doan, and others. They are all so easy to gel with, which makes it easy to play with them on the ice."

FINLAND

Tomi Kallio: "We wanted to limit their chances. We knew they skated well and would go hard to the net, but in the first they put too much pressure on us. We didn't do what we wanted, obviously."

Jukka Hentunen: "Canada was much better than us today. Good for them. We tried to chip away at the lead in the third, but it was too late. We felt pretty good, but they scored on the power play in the first. I don't know what happened, but we didn't skate enough."

Mikko Koivu: "It is always tough when you are down 3-0. We stil believed when we got two goals in the third, but you need a little luck to come back all the way, and tonight we could not do that. They deserved the win. It was a good tournament, but it is always tough when you lose in the final game. It is a bad feeling right now. In a few hours, we will look back and feel proud about what we did here and in representing the people back home.

Jarkko Ruutu: "We played to win this game but tonight Canada was better. Tonight they had their power play working early on and defended the lead really well. We could not get anything going until the last period. Nash had a great effort on the last goal. Russian forwards have the most skill in the world, you can't deny that. But it is not about individual skill, it is all about team effort, and that is what Canada is good at. They have different kinds of players who can play every role, and they have big hearts. Russia is different. They are more individualists. I think that is the biggest difference. It doesn't take more skill to win something--it is more about the team and being willing to work for your teammates. That is how you win games. We had a good chance in the third and our hopes were up. But you have to give it to them. Canada was good tonight.You look at [Tuomo] and he's a hard worker. The last two years he has been injured and had some major surgeries. He's been unlucky. But he's worked hard, and he's building his confidence. He was pretty good in this tournament, but he wouldn't settle for this result. He wants to be the best, and he wants to make a difference on this team, or any team he plays for.

Source: http://www.ihwc.net

Eric Staal would love to capture World Championship gold a year after winning the Stanley Cup with Carolina

Matchup: Canada vs. Finland, 20.15, Khodynka Arena

Canada: This year's Team Canada roster isn't as star-studded as the ones that won the 2003 and 2004 titles and marched to the gold medal game versus the Czech Republic in 2005. Nonetheless, it looks to be just as cohesive as those outstanding squads. And just as planned, the team has improved with every game, looking far better in its dominant 4-1 semi-final win over the Swedes than it did in its tournament-opening 3-2 squeaker against Germany. Shane Doan has clearly overcome the early controversy about his captaincy that the Canadian Parliament generated. With five goals and four assists, the Phoenix Coyotes forward and former World Championship winner (2003) is second only to Matthew Lombardi (10 points) in team scoring. Rick Nash, who closed out the scoring against Sweden, has picked up his game at the right time, and Eric Staal is showing more and more of the offensive flair he demonstrated as last year's NHL playoff scoring leader. That's just to mention a few key names: there's great balance in this forward group overall. Against the Swedes, Canada exhibited an ability to score with both strong play down low and stretch passes (usually more of a hallmark of teams like the Czechs and Russians), so the Finnish defense will have its hands full today. Maintaining good discipline will be a key: young, physical blueliners like Dion Phaneuf and Shea Weber will want to use their strength against Finnish forwards, but must play a controlled game and stay away from throwing high hits. If Canada sticks to its game plan and gets reliable goaltending--and based on how Cam Ward played against Sweden, that shouldn't be a problem--its chance of emerging golden for the third time since 2003 are very good indeed.

	Tuomo Ruutu combines scoring talent and an agitating physical presence for Finland

Finland: With Kari Lehtonen between the pipes, Finland appears to have the best goaltender in the 2007 IIHF World Championship. The Atlanta Thrashers starter has put aside his failure in his NHL playoff debut versus the New York Rangers and stepped up here in Moscow. He's amassed a 1.58 GAA and .933 save percentage heading into the gold medal game. Time and time again, he stymied elite Russian snipers like Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Ovechkin in Finland's dramatic 2-1 overtime victory over Russia in the semi-finals. Lehtonen has the capability to steal a game all by himself. The solid but relatively pedestrian Finnish defense would receive a huge boost from the return of legendary veteran and offensive leader Petteri Nummelin, who will be a game-time decision after being sidelined with a knee injury versus the USA (he did, however, participate in the quarter-final shootout). With gritty types like Mikko Koivu and Jarkko and Tuomo Ruutu up front, the Finns will not be physically intimidated by the Canadians, as they might have been 10 or 15 years ago. Expect them to give as good as they take in that department. The question is whether 1995 IIHF World Championship heroes like captain Ville Peltonen and Jere Lehtinen will be able to spark their team with enough key offensive plays to match the greater scoring potential of Canada (which has 37 goals to Finland's 27 so far). Special teams, of course, will be a significant factor, but both sides are relatively equal on the power play and penalty kill. So who will have the mental edge? If history starts playing havoc with the Finns' minds, they're lost. They cannot focus on the fact that Finland has lost umpteen deciding games in the past. They've already come through twice in extra time heading into the championship final, and we're about to find out those experiences have left them drained, or taught them what it takes to succeed when the whole world is watching intently.

Lucas Aykroyd

Source: http://www.ihwc.net

Petteri Nummelin's face after the 2001 final versus the Czechs says it all

By Lucas Aykroyd

Some Finnish fans might feel like the following article will be cathartic, enabling them to put the disappointments of yesteryear in perspective and move on. Other Finnish fans may immediately skip to another article as soon as they see the title.

It's impossible not to have a healthy dose of dread mixed in with anticipation if you're cheering for the Finnish Lions heading into Sunday's gold medal game against Canada. Telling Finnish fans to relax in this situation is like telling them never to take another sauna or telling Esa Tikkanen to shut up--it's just not going to happen.

After all, only once in senior men's IIHF competition has Finland triumphed in a gold medal game: the 1995 World Championship in Stockholm, where Saku Koivu, Ville Peltonen, and Jere Lehtinen teamed up on the top "Tupu-Hupu-Lupu" line and led their team to a 4-1 win over Tre Kronor, as the tournament theme song "Den Glider In" resounded.

Almost every other time, Finland has come heartbreakingly close to winning, but something has gone wrong in the end. In some ways, it would have been easier to accept if the Finns had lost more of these games 8-1 (like Canada versus the Soviet Union in the 1981 Canada Cup final) or 4-0 (like the Czechs versus Sweden in Riga 2006).

So Finland will have to hope that its players can keep cooler heads on Sunday than its fans at Khodynka Arena or those watching on TV or IHWC.NET's Games Online service.

Let's briefly relive the tough times.

Bittersweet Silver: Sweden beats Finland in 1992 World Championship final

This was Finland's first-ever medal at an IIHF World Championship, and after finishing fourth on 10 previous occasions, it would have been unfair to describe 1992's results as anything other than a success. Nonetheless, it was tough for the Finns to accept a nervous 5-2 loss to Tre Kronor in Prague after earning a perfect record in the round-robin and then ousting Canada and the Czechs in the playoffs. The Finns placed more players on the tournament all-star team than any other nation did (goalie Markus Ketterer, defenseman Timo Jutila, and forward Jarkko Varvio).

The Pain of Penalty Shots: Canada beats Finland in 1994 World Championship final

Canada celebrated its 2-1 shootout victory for gold with extra enthusiasm, since this was the first world title for the motherland of hockey in 33 years. However, the Finns couldn't believe they had come this close only to fail in Milan. After Esa Keskinen and Rod Brind'Amour exchanged goals in regulation and overtime settled nothing, the shooters took over the spotlight. Through the first round of five shooters, Jari Kurri and Mikko Makela scored on Bill Ranford and Luc Robitaille and Joe Sakic replied in kind against Jarmo Myllys. After Robitaille beat Myllys again using a backhanded deke, Mika Nieminen failed to score on Ranford and it was all over.

Tormented by Tornberg: Sweden beats Finland in 1998 World Championship final

Johan Tornberg only represented Sweden once at the Worlds, and unfortunately for the Finns, the Pajala-born defenseman really made the most of his Zurich appearance. Outshone over the balance of the tournament by Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg, and Tommy Salo, Tornberg scored from the blueline on Finnish goalie Ari Sulander at 10:07 of the third period to give Sweden a 1-0 win in the opening game of the two-game final. After the teams skated to a scoreless draw in the second game (this comprising frankly the most boring final in World Championship history), Sweden was awarded the title. "The better team won," said Finnish Head Coach Hannu Aravirta. "We played on our level but couldn't score."

Happy Hlavac, Horrified Finns: Czech Republic beats Finland in 1999 World Championship final

Having gained their second straight berth in a two-game final, the Finns had to suffer the indignity of losing a title after recording a solid win. They fell 3-1 to the Czechs in the first game, but rallied for a 4-1 victory in the second game in Lillehammer. Under this format, the teams then went to overtime to decide the champion, and Jan Hlavac broke Finland's heart at 16:32 by capitalizing on a breakaway on Miikka Kiprusoff, who was largely unknown outside the Finnish and Swedish Leagues at this time.

More Misery, Courtesy of Moravec: Czech Republic beats Finland in 2001 World Championship final

This was a final the Finns should have won. They outshot the Czechs 49-35 and held a 2-0 lead heading into the third period. However, Martin Prochazka and Jiri Dopita scored in the final 20 minutes (the tying goal coming with 5:55 left), and it was off to overtime, just like in 1999. In the extra session, the Finns failed to score on an early man advantage after Petr Cajanek was penalized for covering the puck up in front of the net. At 10:38, Czech forward David Moravec scored the winner on a beautiful backhand on goalie Pasi Nurminen after Pavel Patera stole the puck from Toni Sihvonen and raced into the Finnish zone to set up his linemate.

Doan Like Dinner: Canada beats Finland in 2004 World Cup final

At the time, the Finns said making the World Cup final under the leadership of intensely competitive Head Coach Raimo Summanen was the biggest accomplishment in their hockey history. But they couldn't overcome a Mario Lemieux-led Team Canada that never trailed once in this entire tournament. Despite an amazing individual effort by Tuomo Ruutu to tie the game 2-2 with a minute left in the second period, Canada scored the winner early in the third when Shane Doan drove to the net, took a pass from Joe Thornton stationed behind the goal line, and tucked the puck around Kiprusoff.

Lidstrom's Long Shot: Sweden beats Finland in 2006 Olympic final

Everyone remembers how Nicklas Lidstrom blew a perfect shot past Finnish goalie Antero Niittymaki just 10 seconds into the third period for the 3-2 winner in this all-Scandinavian showdown for gold in Turin last year. But for Finnish fans, another play remains equally vivid: the moment with 20 seconds left when Swedish netminder Henrik Lundqvist robbed Olli Jokinen of the tying goal from right on the doorstep. There would be no last-minute miracle for the Finns, who had to take solace in having played the best tournament from start to finish of any of the Olympic hockey nations and nearly being the best on the final day.


Source: http://www.ihwc.net

Their Finish was superior: Finland outclassed Sweden by 64-35 in the race for the 2012 IIHF World Championship. Matti Nurminen, Harry Bogomoloff, Timo Bäckman, Heikki Hietanen, Susanna Karjalainen and Kimmo Leinonen celebrate the success.

By IHWC.NET staff

The IIHF General Congress in Moscow awarded Finland  with the 2012 IIHF World Championship. Finland won the voting 64-35. Hungary withdrew prior to the voting. Canada, already organizers of the 2009 IIHF World U20 Championship, was also awarded the 2010 World Juniors.

Both the Finnish and Swedish Ice Hockey Associations went very far in their attempts to land the 2012 event, having campaigned ambitiously over the last two days at the Mezhdunarodnaya Hotel in Moscow. Both countries used some of their most famous players to try to lure the sympathies and votes from the IIHF member nations. Triple Gold Club member Hakan Loob campaigned for Sweden while ex NHL-great Jari Kurri was part of the Finnish delegation.

But when it came down to the actual vote, it was a non-contest. Finland got 64 of the congress’ votes to Sweden’s 35. Shortly after that, the Finnish delegation started to uncork the champagne bottles in the lobby outside of the congress room meanwhile the delegates congratulated the Finns. The 2012 cities will be Helsinki and Turku.

The 2008 World Championship will be in Quebec City & Halifax, Canada, the 2009 event will be hosted by Switzerland, Germany is the organizer in 2010 while Slovakia has the Worlds in 2011.

The allocation of the 2010 IIHF World U20 Championship to Canada was somewhat of a surprise, since the country already earlier had secured the 2009 (Ottawa) and 2012 World Juniors. But since there were no applicants for that year, Hockey Canada took the opportunity of also applying for 2010.

This means that starting with 2009, four consecutive World U20 championships will be in North America with USA being organizer in 2011. The tournament can return to Europe in 2013 at the earliest.   

The USA scored a very unusual triple as they will host three different IIHF competitions in three different years: the 2009 World U18 Championship, the 2011 World U20 Championship, and the 2012 World Women's Championship. Cities for those events will be announced later.

Other congress news:

++ The General Congress approved an IIHF Council proposal of extending the current contract with the commercial partner Infront until 2017. The contract will give the IIHF more than 200 million Swiss francs over ten years for selling the TV and marketing rights to the IIHF World Championship, including the Division I-level. The current contract was until 2011, but it has now been extended for another six years.

“The contract with Infront is the bread and butter of international ice hockey”, says IIHF President René Fasel. “I am extremely happy for our relationship that dates back to the early 80s. This is definitely one of the best, most efficient and longest lasting relationships in team sports. It is based on trust and common goals.”

++ The proposal to introduce the four-man officiating system was approved. It will be implemented as of the 2007-2008 IIHF championship season and include the top division in each of the IIHF’s four categories, men’s, women’s, U20 and U18 and also the European cup competitions. NOTE: Implementation of the four-man officiating system at the 2008 IIHF World Championship in Canada depends on the success of this system earlier during the 2007-2008-season.

++ The General Congress approved the women’s and men’s Olympic format, for both the qualifications and the Olympic tournament in Vancouver 2010. The IIHF announced the format on March 30.

++ The international transfer deadline between IIHF member association countries has been changed to January 31 of the applicable season. (For countries in the southern hemisphere the deadline will be July 31).

“This was a necessary change,” says René Fasel. “It has almost become a routine that players whose teams have been eliminated from their national playoffs, transfer to another country and continue to play in the playoffs there. This is not good for the credibility. By installing the deadline, we will prevent this late-season movement.”  

Other IIHF World Championship allocations

2008
IIHF World Championship Division I, Group A: Innsbruck, Austria
IIHF World Championship Division I, Group B: Sapporo, Japan
IIHF World Championship Division II, Group A: Brasov/Miercurea Ciuc, Romania
IIHF World Championship Division II, Group B: Newcastle, Australia
IIHF World Championship Division III: Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

IIHF World Women Championship: China (decided previously)
IIHF World Women Championship, Division I: Latvia (city TBA)
IIHF World Women Championship, Division II (no applicants)
IIHF World Women Championship, Division III (no applicants)

IIHF World U20 Championship Division I, Group A: Germany (city TBA)
IIHF World U20 Championship Division I, Group B: Riga, Latvia
IIHF World U20 Championship Division II, Group A: Italy (city TBA)
IIHF World U20 Championship Division II, Group B: Tallinn, Estonia
IIHF World U20 Championship Division III: Belgrade/Novi Sad, Serbia

IIHF World U18 Championship Division I, Group A: Poland (city TBA)
IIHF World U18 Championship Division I, Group B: Riga, Latvia
IIHF World U18 Championship Division II, Group A: Lyon, France
IIHF World U18 Championship Division II, Group B: Tallinn, Estonia
IIHF World U18 Championship Division III: Mexico City, Mexico
IIHF World U18 Championship Division III, Qualifications: Turkey (city TBA)

IIHF World Women U18 Championship: Canada (city TBA)

2009
IIHF World U18 Championship: USA

2010
IIHF World U20 Championship: Canada

2011
IIHF World U20 Championship: USA

2012
IIHF World Championship: Helsinki, Turku, Finland.
IIHF World Women Championship: USA

Lehtinen's winner came on the 10th attempt overall in the shootout

By Lucas Aykroyd

KHODYNKA--In a gritty, intense quarter-final Thursday night in Moscow, Jere Lehtinen scored the lone goal in a penalty shootout to give Finland a 5-4 victory over a resilient young American squad that rallied from one-goal deficits four times before succumbing.

The Finns will now play Russia in Saturday's first semi-final.

After five Americans and four Finns had failed to score in the game-winning shots competition, Lehtinen coolly moved in, kicked his skate up, and then zinged a shot under the crossbar that sent USA goalie John Grahame's water bottle flying. Thanks to that moment of brilliance from a 1995 World Champion, 1999 Stanley Cup champion, and former Selke Trophy winner, the USA's tournament came to an end.

"When I went out on the ice, I was thinking about what to do," said Lehtinen. "He was pretty deep in his goal. I wanted to shoot high, and I got a pretty good shot."

Tuomo Ruutu, Pekka Saravo, Jari Viuhkola, and Tomi Kallio scored for Finland in regulation time. Toby Petersen, Tyler Arnason, Lee Stempniak, and Andrew Hutchinson replied for the USA.

"It was a nerve-wracking game," said Kallio. "We are really happy to go further. The Americans played well."

Finnish goalie Kari Lehtonen recorded 28 saves in regulation and 10 minutes of 4-on-4 overtime before performing flawlessly in the shootout. Grahame faced 35 Finnish shots on the night.

"Our team played with a lot of heart," said USA Head Coach Mike Sullivan. "They showed a lot of resilience. There was no quit in them."

"We have a good bunch of guys," Arnason added. "We played well as a team for pretty much the entire tournament."

With the back-and-forth scoring pattern and so much on the line, this was a definite contender for the title of most exciting game of Moscow 2007.

Heading into this game, there was some noteworthy recent elimination-round history for these two nations. In the 2001 semi-finals and 2002 quarter-finals, Finland ousted the USA by identical 3-1 scores. Both nations' last medals were bronze, Finland's in 2006 and the USA's in 2004.

The Finns were all over the Americans during an early man advantage with Andrew Alberts off for tripping. A few minutes later, a neat flip pass from Sean Bergenheim sent Mika Pyorala in on goal for a near-breakaway and great forehand chance that Grahame blocked with his right pad.

The physical intensity picked up midway through the period, as David Backes knocked off Lasse Kukkonen's helmet with a mid-ice hit. Zach Parise got clipped with a high stick behind the Finnish net, and although he clutched his face and sought attention on the American bench, he would return to action.

Tuomo Ruutu opened the scoring for Finland with 2:57 left in the first when he grabbed a loose puck on the right side boards, stepped into the faceoff circle, and fired a wrist shot past Grahame's blocker side.

Just 48 seconds into the middle frame, the Americans drew even while shorthanded. Coming down left wing, Chad Larose hustled into the Finnish zone on a 2-on-1 and deftly sent a cross-ice pass to Toby Petersen for a one-timer from the faceoff circle that beat Lehtonen over the glove. The USA got another shorthanded 2-on-1 two minutes later, but this time Lehtonen had his glove ready and waiting for Parise.

At 4:33, the Finns showed they knew how to execute a 2-on-1 as well. Niko Kapanen picked up the puck in the neutral zone on a quick transition, came down the right side, and then fed Pekka Saravo, who got Grahame moving across and then slid the puck inside the far post for a 2-1 Finnish lead.

Just as a Finnish minor expired, Tyler Arnason capitalized on a beautiful three-way passing play in front of the net, tucking a backhand through Lehtonen's legs to make it 2-2 at 7:05.

Shortly after the midway mark, the Finns made it 3-2 after several defensive breakdowns in the American end. Grahame tried to shoot the puck around the boards and handed it away behind the net to Lehtinen, who attempted a wraparound at the goalie's left post that Grahame barely got back in time to save. But the Finns got the puck back for a Ville Peltonen shot after Grahame recovered, and Jari Viukhola put the rebound up under the crossbar.

At 14:08, the Americans tied it up yet again on a scramble down low for a rebound, as Backes lifted the loose puck across the crease to Lee Stempniak, who got control of it off his skate and tucked a backhand into the open side.

The Finns jumped into a 4-3 lead on the power play with 4:28 left in the second when Tomi Kallio lasered a high wrister just inside the post from below the faceoff circle.

"I got a great pass from Petteri Nummelin," said Kallio. "I like to shoot up high from that angle. It was a perfect position for me."

Would the pesky Americans be able to keep coming back in the third? The answer was yes. Erik Cole, who skated strongly all game long, drew a hooking minor on Jukka-Pekka Laamanen at 12:42. And with 5:40 left, Arnason made a brilliant cross-ice pass to Andrew Hutchinson, who wired a one-timer whose trajectory resembled Kallio's goal, making it a 4-4 tie.

The pace intensified in the dying minutes of regulation. Paul Stastny stole the puck during a sloppy Finnish line change and zoomed down the middle to knife a backhand off Lehtonen's pads. The Finns nearly capitalized on two occasions due to American turnovers in the defensive zone.

With less than two minutes to go, Petteri Nummelin tried to fire the winner on a nifty solo rush down right wing, but was flattened with a hip check in the corner and had to be helped off by the training staff. (However, he would recover in time for overtime.) Stempniak swooped in from the corner from one more good American chance in regulation, but couldn't get the puck through Lehtonen's feet. And it was off to sudden death.

The first great chance of the 4-on-4 session went to Parise, who rang a wrister off the outside of the post. In the fourth minute, Cole managed to cut around Saravo and get to the net, but couldn't direct the puck through Lehtonen, and the Finnish goalie was also sharp to stop an Alberts blast from the line with traffic in front a minute later.

"Tonight our goalie made some unbelievable saves and helped us win the game," said Mikko Koivu.

The Finns generated chances of their own, as Lehtinen nearly converted a three-way passing play in close on Grahame past the midway mark of OT. With just over a minute left, Tomi Kallio got free on the right side and fired a high shot that clipped Grahame in the mask.

With overtime having settled nothing, it was time for the shootout. Finland won the right to shoot first, and it unfolded as follows (according to the new 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: FIN, Peltonen - Grahame stick save. USA, Kessel - Lehtonen saves.

Round 2: FIN, Nummelin - Grahame saves. USA, Stempniak - Lehtonen blocker save.

Round 3: FIN, Mikko Koivu - Grahame saves. USA, Parise - Lehtonen glove save.

Round 4: USA, Parise - dekes, loses control. FIN, Tuomo Ruutu - Grahame save.

Round 5: USA, Kessel - Lehtonen pad save. FIN, Lehtinen - scores, high over glove.

Finland celebrated after Jukka Hentunen (25) made it 2-0 late in the first

By John Sanful

KHODYNKA--On Saturday night, Finland sealed the deal at Khodynka Arena, beating Italy 3-0 to ensure a berth in the quarter-finals of the 2007 IIHF World Championship. Jari Viuhkola's two goals were enough to turn away a determined but tired and offensively limited Italian team. Goalie Fredrik Norrena made 12 saves en route to the victory and his second tournament shutout.

While the focus in Moscow has been on the dominance of the Russian side and the power of the Swedish team, the Finns have flown somewhat under the radar. They have turned in four exceptional performances in winning causes, and gave the Russians a run for their money on May 1 in a 5-4 loss. 

Heading into the quarter-finals, Finland will be a tough draw with veterans who have been here before, like Ville Peltonen and Petteri Nummelin. Three of Finland's victories have been shutouts.

Against Italy, Finland put on a clinic in defense and timely goal-scoring.

"It wasn't a great game for us, but it was 3-0 and our defense was solid," said Finland's Timo Parssinen. "We now must concentrate on the next game against Sweden."

The only goal Finland would need came on the power play in the first period. Italy's Stefano Margoni was whistled off for high-sticking, a penalty that team could ill afford to take, coming in with the 12th-ranked shorthanded efficiency out of the 16 teams in this tournament.

Finland used the opportunity to move the puck around, and at 7:29, Viuhkola got his team on the board. Peltonen was stoned in front by Italian netminder Guenther Hell, who could not hold on to the puck. The rebound bounced off the skate of Florian Ramoser and to the right of Hell. All Viuhkola had to do was neatly tuck it home for a 1-0 lead. 

"Our power play has been real good when we get the shots and have guys in front," said Peltonen. "You can't really score on the first shot, so you have to get rebounds and make them count, which we did on that first one."

At 18:48 of the first period, Jukka Hentunen skated to the top of the faceoff circle to the right of Hell and fired a rocket that found the back of the net high to the already beleaguered Italian goaltender's stick side. Jarkko Ruutu and Niko Kapanen assisted on the goal.

As time wound down, Luca Ansoldi and Armin Helfer skated in on a developing 2-on-1, but it was flubbed by Helfer as he neared the net. That concluded the period, and was Italy's best chance. The Italians managed only two shots on goal in the period. Finland had nine, four coming from Peltonen.

Finland continued to apply pressure in the second period. Italy did manage a little better effort in the Finnish zone. Giulio Scandella had two high percentage scoring chances in the period, including an errant pass by Pekka Saravo he stole but could not put it past Norrena.

Viuhkola scored again early in the third and put the game well out of reach. Hentunen had a chance with seven minutes left to get his second tally but could not convert. 

Hell was sparkling in goal for Italy, facing nearly 30 shots, but his efforts were not enough.

"He did a great job, and it is tough to beat goalies when they have a great day," said Parssinen of Hell. "There are no bad goaltenders in this tournament."

Despite having secured a spot among the final eight, Finland will nonetheless face a difficult contest tomorrow against archrival Sweden.

"We can go on now and get ready for Sweden, which will be a big game," said Peltonen. "Every game is important for us after this. We have to get ready for the big games in the playoffs."

The Italians accomplished what they set out to do, which was to win a game in the Preliminary Round and qualify for the 2008 IIHF World Championship in Canada. Their tournament will finish Monday versus Denmark in a battle for placement.

Italian Head Coach Mickey Goulet had nothing but praise for Finland: "Since the Olympics I have been impressed with Finland and how they go about their game, and their coach."

Source: http://www.ihwc.net

Goalie Jonas Hiller stopped 29 of 31 Finnish shots, but couldn't foil the younger brother of Finland's Jarkko Ruutu (left)

By Lucas Aykroyd

KHODYNKA--With 8:23 left in the third period, Tuomo Ruutu scored the winner for Finland in a 2-0 victory over Switzerland to open the Qualifying Round Thursday in Moscow.

Planted in front of the net, the Chicago Blackhawks forward stuffed the rebound from Petteri Nummelin's center point blast through Swiss goalie Jonas Hiller's legs on the power play.

"It was a great feeling to get the game-winner," said Ruutu.

Finland now enjoys six points in Group E, while the Swiss remain at three. Finland faces Italy next on May 5, and the Swiss confront the Danes that day.

"It was a tough game, and the Swiss played hard," said Ruutu. "They wanted to show us that they have a really good team after being blown out in last night's game against the Swedes. And at the same time, I don't think we were at our best. We didn't really play our system well."

Although the game remained scoreless for more than 50 minutes, neither Hiller nor Finland's Kari Lehtonen, who earned his first tournament shutout, were forced to make a ton of great saves along the way, so this couldn't be dubbed a "goaltending duel"--although both netminders were chosen as their team's Player of the Game. Final shots on goal favored Finland 31-18.

Clearly, this was the kind of game Switzerland wanted to play against Finland, rather than trading end-to-end rushes. The Finns didn't get off to the quick start they would have liked, with the Swiss checking tenaciously and slowing down the pace.

"We weren't as charged up as we should have been," said Finland's Sean Bergenheim. "It'll be a totally different game on Sunday [against Sweden]."

Halfway through the period, Petri Kontiola had one of Finland's better early chances, as he grabbed the puck in the slot and stormed toward Hiller, but couldn't fool the goalie with his dekes. A minute later, Hiller made a nice right pad save off Mikko Koivu from the slot.

Although the Finns held an 11-6 advantage in shots on goal in the first, Switzerland's Goran Bezina came closest to scoring in the final minute when he bulled his way to the front of the net with a backhand, and Thibaut Monnet and Patric Della Rossa then tested Lehtonen with rebounds.

The tight play continued well into the second period, and the Swiss were enjoying it. Near the midway mark, Sandy Jeannin nearly opened the scoring for Switzerland when he attempted to convert a pass right at the doorstep, but Lehtonen got it with his right skate. A couple of minutes later, Paul DiPietro nearly stuffed home a Goran Bezina feed from down low on the rush, and next, Thierry Paterlini couldn't stuff the puck past Lehtonen's outstretched left leg after a wild scramble in front.

The Swiss bottled the Finns up in their own end in the early part of a period-closing man advantage, but the best late chance was a shorthanded breakaway by Jere Lehtinen, whose backhand deke was stymied by Hiller.

In the seventh minute of the third period, Kontiola forced Hiller to make a flashy glove grab off the rush. It was a rare Finnish opportunity as the Swiss worked hard to tie up play along the boards and in the neutral zone.

After Tuomo Ruutu put the Finns ahead, Mikko Koivu took an untimely delay of game penalty by firing the puck over the glass just past the Swiss bench and out of play--from his own end. However, the Swiss couldn't generate anything serious with the power play.

Ruutu nearly became the goat when he took a late elbowing penalty in his own zone, but Lehtonen held down the fort, and Switzerland's Romano Lemm took an interference minor at 17:40 to nullify his team's advantage.

"I think both guys went for the hit," said Ruutu of his penalty. "The other guy fell down. I felt it was a clean hit. That's hockey. I don't even want to say anything about the call, because no one's gonna listen to me."

With Hiller pulled for the extra attacker, Finnish captain Ville Peltonen added an empty-netter for insurance with 14 seconds, Nummelin drawing his second assist of the game on the play.

A cluster of Swiss fans in the upper deck at Khodynka Arena amused themselves by clapping in time and singing various tunes, including "Yankee Doodle Dandy."

Source: http://www.ihwc.net

Ilya Kovalchuk celebrates his 3-1 power play goal with Evgeni Malkin (right)

By Peter Westermark

KHODYNKA--Russia claimed top spot in Group D by beating Finland 5-4 in a heated battle in Moscow on May Day. In what was arguably the best game to date in the 2007 tournament, the Russians showed world-class speed and skill, especially in the first two periods, while the Finns showed great character in the third, mounting a powerful comeback.

The host team was up 4-1 after two periods, and dominating the game seemingly at will. However, an early third-period goal from Jukka Hentunen gave the Finns hope, and when they scored again less than six minutes later courtesy of Jere Lehtinen, they could almost taste the equalizer.

Russian captain Petr Schastlivy momentarily calmed the nerves of worried fans by scoring to make it 5-3 with less than eight minutes remaining. Yet while Khodynka Arena was still rejoicing over the goal, Finland went to work on a power play which saw Petteri Nummelin score to make it a one-goal game once again. But tonight, it was not meant to be for the Finns.

"The fifth goal was too much for us," said Finnish captain Ville Peltonen. "But these guys are not just any team. They're Russia, and they have a lot of skill. Still, we need to improve on the penalty kill. Their second, third, and fourth goals were on the power play."

With the win, Russia heads into the Qualifying Round with the maximum six points while Finland carries over three from its 6-2 win over Denmark.

Again, it was Russia's AK Bars Kazan unit that led the way through the first two periods, providing goals from Alexei Morozov and Danis Zaripov. Nikolay Kulemin and Sergei Gonchar also scored for Russia.

Finland's first goal came from Tuomo Ruutu in the first period, but a cloud that hovered over the Finnish camp afterwards was a game misconduct to his older brother Jarkko for elbowing early in the second period.

The game started with both teams skating hard but still employing controlled defense. The first real scoring chance came six minutes into the contest when Gonchar unleashed a cannon from the blueline that just clipped the outside of the post.

On the next shift Khodynka Arena erupted as Nikolai Kulemin skated into the high slot and fired a low wrist shot, using Petteri Nummelin as his screen. Finnish goalie Fredrik Norrena did not manage to close his pads quick enough to stop the shot and it was 1-0 Russia at 6:38.

At 11:29, Ilya Nikulin was forced to hook Lasse Kukkonen as the pinching Finnish defender was a about to accept a nice pass from Niko Kapanen in the middle of the slot. Although the Russian penalty kill looked solid overall, the Finns scored with 19 seconds remaining, as Tuomo Ruutu deflected a Tuukka Mantyla shot past Russian netminder Vasily Koshechkin. It was Finland's first real scoring chance of the game.

The Russians regained the lead on their first power play of the game late in the opening stanza. From behind the goal line, Sergei Zinoviev made a beautiful pass to Danis Zaripov who skated toward the front of the net and only had to shoot the puck into the open side, as the Finns were all still turned in the wrong direction.

At 1:24, a minor brawl erupted. Morozov was agitated when he was pushed away from Norrena's crease and lost his balance in the process. Referee Guy Pellerin decided to send off one player from each team with 10-minute misconducts, and although Morozov wound up with the extra minor, Finland could not capitalize on the power play.

Instead, it was the Russians that increased their lead on their second man advantage of the night, as Ilya Kovalchuk found Gonchar with a pass that cut right through the Finnish box. Gonchar unleashed a one-timer that touched Finnish defender Lasse Kukkonen and flew into the net at 3:49.

Seconds later, Jarkko Ruutu, previously involved in the brawl, was given a game misconduct for elbowing Schastlivy at 4:30, putting Finland in an even deeper hole. "I went for a line change and got hit from behind," said Schastlivy of the play. "My back got sore and my mouth was bleeding."

On the ensuing five-minute power play, the Russians buzzed around the Finnish net and stayed in the offensive zone from the get-go.  With more than three minutes left in the penalty, Russia scored to make it 4-1. Norrena made two quality stops on Zinoviev, but could not deny the Kazan unit, as Morozov finally banged home the second rebound.

The Finns killed off the rest of the penalty, and had their first full shift on attack in the period after twelve minutes. That was about as much fun as the Finns had in the second. The Russians took over the play once again, and at the end of 40 minutes, the Russians held a 26-13 edge in shots.

At 3:37 of the third, Jukka Hentunen found a loose rebound to jam home and cut the deficit to two goals.

With 11 minutes to go, Jere Lehtinen jammed home a rebound after a shot from Ville Peltonen to make it a one-goal game on the power play. But it was not meant to be today, as Petr Schastlivy put the game out of reach two minutes later, using Aki-Petteri Berg as a screen and firing a wrister past Norrena.

"We need to play harder in front of the net and clear the guys away," said Schastlivy of Russia's coverage on the Hentunen and Lehtinen goals. Of his own goal, he said: "It was a great feeling to get the goal, because I had the one shot in the third period, one chance to score."

The wild scoring did not stop there, however, as Petteri Nummelin fired a shot through traffic to make it a one-goal game once again with six minutes remaining.

With 3:39 remaining, the Finns came close to tying it all up when Tomi Kallio fed Mika Pyorala in the slot, but Koshechkin was there to preserve the lead. Finland did not get a chance to pull Norrena until the dying seconds, as the Russians controlled play.

"We're not here to lose 5-4," said Finnish defenseman Toni Soderholm. "But we think we have a lot to look forward to."

Tuomo Ruutu was chosen as Finland's best player, while Nikolai Kulemin took the honors for Russia.

Ville Peltonen, captain of the Finnish team, had 37 points in 72 games with NHL's Florida Panthers

Ville Peltonen: Through the first two games, Peltonen has been a key part of a Finnish team that has scored 11 times and has looked good in the process. Tonight against Russia, Peltonen will play on a newly composed line with Mikko Koivu and Jere Lehtinen. Maybe that fact alone augurs Finnish success--in 1995, Mikko's older brother Saku joined Peltonen and Lehtinen on the Tupu-Hupu-Lupu line (Huey-Dewey-Louie line) that led Finland to their only IIHF World Championship gold so far. Playing in his twelfth tournament, Peltonen has collected one goal and three assists, and he has also played the point on the first Finnish unit alongside Petteri Nummelin. The Finnish power play was critized by Head Coach Erkka Westerlund after the game versus Ukraine, but they have a 33.3 percent success rate and have scored six goals with the man advantage. Nummelin said that he has liked what he has seen from the Finnish power play from Day One. "I think it was still OK against Ukraine and we had a lot of shots on net there," said Nummelin. “The coach always has a different perspective, because he needs the results. I was happy with the power play." You could say that the Finns have a two-pronged attack in that players like Peltonen and Nummelin can capitalize either on the power play or via turnovers. Finland is arguably the quickest team overall in the tournament. There is not a bad skater to be found among the bunch, and this is something they need to make the most of against Russia tonight. The Russians are at their very best when they get to control the puck and play in the offensive zone, and the Finns need to limit that, as well as making the Russians hesitant by capitalizing on the turnovers they get. With the experience and speed of stars like Ville Peltonen, there's quite a good chance that this will happen.

	Russia has not won gold since Germany 1993--can Gonchar get this team back on track?

Sergei Gonchar: Perhaps it's nitpicking to talk about defensive issues for a team that has been absolutely stellar offensively, scoring 17 times through two games. Yet, defense is the question mark for the Russian squad heading into tonight's tilt. This is the first time that we will get a real indication of the quality of the Russian team--and the emphasis here is on "team." With a myriad of players that can perform magic tricks offensively, Russia's play without the puck must be stellar as well. A defenseman like Sergei Gonchar, known as an offensive player with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins and one of the most experienced Russians, is a key player in that sense. He must lead by example by showing great attitude and an ability to keep the game simple when needed--such as not jumping into the rush except when a truly golden opportunity arises. So far in the tournament, Head Coach Slava Bykov has rolled a full four units, which reduces Gonchar's ice-time compared to what he gets with the Penguins. In North America, he had 67 points in 82 games (matching his career high from 2002-03) and he has been a regular on the power play for years. His quality is obvious. But it's not merely about quality with the Russians, it's about silencing the doubters. Count Denmark's Morten Green into that category. "Their defense can be weak at times," said the Danish center after his team lost 9-1 to Russia. "And they haven't given their all in recent years either." The memory of poor finishes in recent years hangs over the Russians as they head into tonight's game. At this point, as Russia has already landed its spot in the Qualifying Round, perhaps the most important thing is that the Russians will get to how much of a team they really are against Finland. And Sergei Gonchar, the senior member of the defensive corps, will lead the way.

Peter Westermark