IHWC Quarterfinals Part 2: Germany Makes History, Russia gets Revenge

As the Quarterfinals went into Thursday Night in Mannheim and Colonge, Germany. Many German fans were happy that they were able to get back to the Quarterfinals after some poor performances in recent years (Or in some years, in DIV. 1).

But German Goaltender Dennis Endras put on the game of his life and a 2nd period goal by Philipp Gogulla helped make the difference as the Germans put a shock to the Swiss who were looking strong towards breaking through and winning a major international medal.

Russia used their superstars to get revenge from the Olympics as 2 goals in both the 2nd and 3rd periods help decide the game for Russia as they quest for a 3rd straight IHWC Gold Medal is still alive.

It will now be the Heavy favorite against the host Germans. But with Germany's home crowd and a feeling of nothing to lose, it could be an interesting game here. Could Germany pull off another huge upset and Germany making the final, or will Russia end their miracle run?


Russia 5 Canada 2 (1-0, 2-0, 2-2)

Russia VS. Canada Game Photos: www.iihf.com/channels10/iihf-world-championship-wc10/pictures/page/0/game/RUS%20-%20CAN%20%28QF%29.html

By Alan Adams

In Colonge, Germany: Russia continued its march to a third straight Gold Medal with a 5-2 triumph Quarterfinal victory over Canada on Thursday for its seventh straight win at the 2010 World Championship and its 26 straight victory. In the Semifinals, Russia will meet Germany.

"That game will be a lot of fun," said Russian captain Ilya Kovalchuk. "It's the first time ever they will be in the Semifinal and it will be fun."

The 26 game run at the World Tournament began with a Bronze Medal game in 2007 and now the Russians are two games away from keeping a promise they made when Canada humiliated them in the Quarterfinals at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Kovalchuk was asked whetever the Russians can be stopped.

"We'll see. They play hard" he said.

As for Germany, he said: We'll play the home team with the crowd will be with them."

After they lost 7-3 and people questioned their character, the Russian Olympians vowed then to show the world they had more to their mettle then what they showed in Vancouver and with 14 Olympians at the worlds here in Germany, they've answered those critics.

Russia has skill and and speed and the players are listening to the coaching staff," which hasn't always been the norm in the international events.

Russia has now advanced to the medal round for the third straight world championship.

Canada, with one player in the Line up who mined Olympic Gold in Vancouver, finished seventh for its second worst showing since 1992 when they finished 8th. The 2010 Tournament marks the first semifinal that Canada has not qualified for since 2002.

"The game was an extension of the tournament," said captain Ray Whitney.

The Russians went into the game against their longtime rivals saying there was no comparison to the competition here and he best-on-best Olympic competition of three months ago.

But as history has shown, a Canada VS. Russia game at any level brings out the best and worst of each hockey super-power and the quarterfinal was another installment in their fabled way.

Goalie Chris Mason and Russia's Semyon Varlamov were called on to make spectacular saves, much to the delight of the sea of red Russian Jerseys in Laxness Arena. The fans chanted "Rossiya, Rossiya, Rossiya" throughout the game.

"They were a couple of chances that we'd like to have back, had we scored a second on those, it would have been a different game." Said Corey Perry.

It didn't take long for the bad blood between the longtime rivals to boil over and there was no shortage of hard punishing hits, faces being washed by gloves, and cheap hits being delivered by both sides. The Russians and Canadians didn't have much working on the power play chances in the first period.

The Russians executed a boatload of crisp passes and dazzled everybody with their skill but it produced only one good goal scoring chance. Evgeni Malkin tipped a point shot and Mason did the splits to rob him of a goal with five minutes left to play in the 1st period.

The best scoring chance for the Canadians had come midway through the period when Steve Stamkos got the blade of his stick on a low shot and the puck hit a surprised Varlamov in the shoulder.

The Russians took a 1-0 lead at 19:02 of the first period on a wrist shot by Maxim Afinogenov that Mason got a piece of but not enough to stop the puck from trickling into the net.

With Canada's Steve Stamkos in the penalty box for boarding, Pavel Datsyuk doubled Russia's lead at 1:34 of the 2nd period when Datsyuk showed the European Audience what people in the NHL arenas have seen him do so many times before when he lifted the puck high over Mason from the lip of the crease.

Then with Perry in the penalty box for a slash on Russian Star Alexander Ovechkin, Malkin made it 3-0 at 17:31 of the 2nd period on a shoot from between the faceoff circles that slid under Mason has he dropped to his knees in the crease in an attempt to make the save. Sergei Federov tipped a point shot for the 4-0 lead at 7:31 of the third period.

John Tavares scored at 13:52 of the third period for Canada only scoring play and with Canada's empty net for an extra attacker, Malkin scored his second goal of the game at 16:56. Matt Duchene made it 5-2 with 14 seconds left in the game.

Canada ended the tournament with three straight losses.


Switzerland 0 Germany 1 (0-0, 0-1, 0-0)

Switzerland VS. Germany Game Photos: www.iihf.com/channels10/iihf-world-championship-wc10/pictures/page/0/game/SUI%20-%20GER%20%28QF%29.html

By Andrew Podnieks

In Mannheim, Germany: A quick goal from Philipp Gogulla Midway through the 2nd period and sensational goaltending from Dennis Endras was all Germany needed to beat Switzerland 1-0 to advance to the Semifinals for the first time since the current IIHF World Championship Playoff format was introduced in 1992. The Germans now play Russia in Colonge at 18:00 on Saturday Night for a place in the Gold Medal Game.

"Russia is a huge favorite, I think," said Michael Wolf. "With that lineup they have, it's almost like the Olympic Line Up. It's tough to play against them, but we'll try to play as a group again, with good goaltending, and never now."

The game was played before a raucous, sold out SAP Arena crowd of 12,500 that saw Endras stop all 41 shots he faced, some in sensational fashion. The Czechs and Swedes play the other semifinal on Saturday at 14:00.

"I think it was the biggest win of my career," said Endras. "For Germany to make the Semifinal is huge for a team, for the whole staff. The guys worked for the entire 60 minutes and it was such a great feeling tonight."

The only dark side of the night occurred when the final horn was blown when a full scale brawl almost erupted, including Swiss player Timo Helbling and German assistant coach Ernst Hofner, who both got match penalties.

The win guarantees a fourth at least a fourth place finish for the Germans. They last finished as high at the 1976 Olympics when they won a Bronze Medal in Innsbruck and at the 1953 World Championships when they also won Silver. Switzerland now finishes in fifth place, its best showing since a fourth in 1998 when they hosted the World Championship and Zurich and Basle.

Marcel Jenni was praiseworthy in defeat. "It's one of the worst losses I've ever had in my career. We controlled the play in the first period, but we couldn't find the flow we needed to beat them. The Germans deserved the win. They played well."

The first period saw both teams have only one great opportunity each to score, but after 20 minutes there was a nary a goal to be found. In the early going it was Switzerland's Paolo Duca who hit the post, and then toward the end of the period Germany had a colossal opportunity to break the game wide open.

Martin Pluss was given a five minute major and game misconduct for spearing at 15:28. the vicious little play was actually a back-swing with the tip of his stick into the groin of Christian Ehrhoff, but on the ensuing power play the Germans were able to generate few decent shots much less score. They had one other fruitless power play in the period. Coming into the game they were 16th in the tournament with just one goal in 21 chances with the extra man.

Germany showed its great weakness - lack of offense - but the Swiss didn't generate many chances either in a dull period enlivened only by the incredible fan support by the home side.

The 2nd period, however, was a vastly different story. It began with a stifling defense, but then Germany started to take over and dominate. The Swiss couldn't generate scoring chances off the rush, and the Germans skated with greater inspiration. They were rewarded halfway through the period with the game's first goal.

Alexander Sulzner took a weak shot along the left wing boards, but it was high and caught goalie Martin Gerber by surprise. He had to jump to make the chest save, but the puck dropped onto the stick of Philipp Gogulla and quickly rapped it open side of the 1-0 lead at 10:46.

The third period was predictable in that the Germans tried to protect the lead and the Swiss mounted their fiercest attack. The result was several terrific scoring chances, but Endras was sensational in the German net, stopped everything that came his way.

Of course, the Swiss attacked, the more they were vulnerable to odd-man rushes the other way, and Germany had a few quality scoring chances to get their all important 2nd goal.

The brawl erupted after a crazy series of events. As the clock wound down to zero, German Players leaped off the bench to celebrate the win, but refs pointed out there was still one second left on the clock. Order was restored, the puck dropped, and the game was over. But pushing and shoving occurred as the players left their benches. Order was restored but gave an otherwise sensational night a bit of a black eye.

"We have great team spirit," said Alexander Sulzer of the winning team. "We talked before the game against the USA Started, and we sat together. We said we were just going to play the game and keep it easy, do the little things. Enjoy the moment, go from shift to shift and, period to period and game to game."

And now they have at least one more game to play, the biggest of their lives.

IHWC Quarterfinals Part 1: Sweden ends Denmark's Historic Run, Czech Rep. wins a SO against Finland

Thursday's Quarterfinals in the Ice Hockey World Championships saw some interesting battles as the Russians got revenge from the beating they received from Canada in the Olympics back in February.

History was made for Germany by eking out a 1-0 goaltenders duel as they reach the Semis for the first time and the Czechs eking out a 2-1 victory in a shutout after going down 1-0 early on in the first game of the day.

Denmark's run may have ended, but for a team that's usually been trying to battle off relegation. This meant a big step up and ending what otherwise has been a disappointing season for the Danes as they failed to make the Olympics during the Olympic Qualifiers last year and failing to promote to the WJC and U18 World Championships this season.

They didn't go without a fight as players like Dallas Stars Prospect Patrick Thorson among a growing list of players who are making an impact in both Europe (Especially Sweden) and North America with more & more players getting chances in the AHL and a few in the NHL right now.

They hoping to use this as momentum for 2010-2011 to keep up this pace as they look to have a stronger season internationally with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia and getting their Juniors promoted to the WJC & U18 World Championships next season.

Czech Republic in addition to Russia also got revenge from their Olympic Rematches as they took down Finland 2-1 in a shutout in what was mostly a defensive showdown. But they were some great outbursts by both sides, especially in OT where both teams were looking to prevent the game from going to a shutout.

Now the Semifinals will be taking place on Saturday as Swede VS. Czech Republic will go at it in the early game. While Russia will be taking Germany who's looking to pull off an incredible run as hosts in the 2nd game.


From Risto Pakarinen

Finland 1 Czech Republic 2 (SO) (1-0, 0-0, 0-1, 0-0, 0-1)

Finland VS. Czech Republic Game Photos: www.iihf.com/channels10/iihf-world-championship-wc10/pictures/page/0/game/FIN%20-%20CZE.html

In Colonge, Germany: Tied after 70 minutes of battle, it all came down to a penalty shutout. Lukas Kaspar and Jan Marek scored for the Czechs and sealed the win.

Jakub Klepis for the Czechs in the 3rd period, and Tomas Vokoun made 29 saves in regulation time. Petri Kontiola scored for Finland. Pekka Rinne stopped 33 shots.

"It was a tough game, there were times when I was very nervous," Jaromir Jagr about the win that took the Czechs past the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2006.

"The shootout is lots of times a matter of luck. I got some, and I miss some. It's a fun to win, but a tough way to loss," added goaltender Vokoun.

Before the game, everybody said that it was no Olympic rematch because the rosters are completely different. True enough, but the nature of the game was similar to the one played in Vancouver three months ago. A low scoring game, thanks to good goaltending at both ends of the rink.

Another thing that was different in Vancouver, Finland scored late in the third period to win the game. In Colonge, they scored early in the first, and nursed the lead for 59 minutes.

"I don't think we want to get ahead of ourselves. We said before the game we are not supposed to be here and we have twice survived our death." Vokoun said.

Just 55 seconds into the game, Janne Niskala sent a pass from the top of the faceoff circle to Petri Kontiola on the Finns offensive blue-line. Kontiola snuck between two Czech Defensemen, waited for Tomas Vokoun to go down and beat him on a wrist shot on Vokoun's glove side.

There were two other differences, this time the Czechs scored, too. Just 1:12 into the 3rd period, while Jussi Jokinen was in the penalty box for the third time in the game, they played the puck to Jakub Klepis on the point, and he fired a slap-shot beat Pekka Rinne, and tied the game.

"It's a huge disappointment to have the season end like this, I think we battle hard, and we had some scoring chances too, "Said Jussi Jokinen.

The game was mostly a battle, with both teams making sure that there were no turnovers in the critical areas of the ice. Both teams also defended the inside walls, making the goalies jobs that much easier.

The Czech Team pushed hard in the third period, practically controlling the flow of the game. Rinnie in the Finnish net made several acrobatic saves, including one on Jaromir Jagr and another on Jiri Novotny, both from point blank range.

With nine minutes remaining, the Czechs had out-shot Finland 7-1 in the third period. But the score was tied after regulation time and the game went to a ten minute, 4-on-4 overtime.

At 3:58, Jakub Voracek got a tripping penalty, giving the Finns and excellent opportunity to score but the Czech Penalty Kill survived the scare.

"Our Penalty Kill was the difference and in overtime when we did not give a shot on the 4-on-3, guys were battling, blocking shots," marveled Vokoun.

According to Team Finland head coach Jekka Jalonen, his team ran out of gas in the third period. Ten additional minutes didn't change the score, and the Czech Republic is through to the Semifinal against Sweden in a penalty shootout.

Here's the results of the Shootout

CZE: Lukas Kaspar, Shot, Goal

FIN: Jarkko Imonen, Shot, Goal

CZE: Jan Marek, Deke, Goal

FIN: Jussi Jokinen, Deke, Missed the Net

CZE: Jakub Klepis, deke, Miss

FIN: Petri Kontiola, Miss

"We have to get ready to put in a 60 minute effort. It's a new game, and if we play hard, you never know what's possible." Vokoun said.


By Lucas Aykroyd

Sweden 4 Denmark 2 (1-0, 2-1, 1-1)

Sweden VS. Denmark Game Photos: www.iihf.com/channels10/iihf-world-championship-wc10/pictures/page/0/game/SWE%20-%20DEN%20%28QF%29.html

In Mannheim, Germany: Two hours before puck drop, the Danes were optimistically blasting "We Can Work it Out" by the Beatles in their dressing room. Unfortunately, that prediction didn't come true for underdog Scandinavian Nation in its Quarterfinal versus Sweden.

With a solid 4-2 Quarterfinal Victory over Denmark, Sweden moved on to Saturday's Semifinal versus the Czech Republic in Colonge. This marks Sweden's tenth straight year they have made the final four at the IHWC.

"We were the better team and we knew it, said Tre Kronor Scoring Leader Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson. We never gave them enough space to execute."

While the final outcome was predictable, the Danes could at least take pride in posting their lowest margin of defeat ever against Sweden at this tournament. The previous best was a 4-2 loss in 2007.

"We just met a better team today." said Denmark's Mads Bodker. "We tried to compete, and it was exciting to the end. We gave them a fight."

Marcus Nilson, Jonas Andersson, Rickard Wallin and Linus Omark scored for Sweden, and Magnus Johansson had a pair of assists. Jesper Damgaard and Morten Madsen replied for Denmark.

"We knew it would be a do-or-die game in the Quarterfinals, and if we're going to win gold, we have to win this one," said Nilson. "These are the game you long to play." This is where the tournament starts."

Swedish starting goalie Johan Gustavsson got the win over Denmark's Patrick Galbaith. Sweden outshot Denmark 39-29.

Sweden now looks ahead. It beat the Czech Republic in the 2006 finals, and has also the defeated that nation in elimination play at each of the last two Worlds (3-2 in OT in the Quarterfinals, 3-1 in the 2009 Quarterfinals). However, the last time the Czechs beat Sweden was in the semifinals, they won 3-2 in OT and went on to win the IIHF Gold Medal in Austria 2005.

Denmark which made its first ever Quarterfinal final appearance before 3487 fans at the SAP Arena, has never defeated Sweden in an international tournament. The Danes Previous best finish at an IIHF World Championship was tenth (Russia 2007). 2010 is a proud moment for the Danish Program.

Although the opening minutes of yearly Quarterfinals passed uneventfully, the Swedes patiently and gradually ratchet up the pressure around Denmark's net. The Danes had to hang back under Swedish fore-checking pressure, and the Swedes often used their size and skill to monoplize the puck down low. At times, it looked like Tre Kronor power play wasn't even it wasn't.

Inevitably though, the Swedes did get a power play, and they took full advantage. Magnus Johannsson found Marcus Nilson to the right of Galbraith's cage with a perfect pass, and Nilson sold the puck into the open side to make it 1-0 at 14:58 of the 1st period.

"It was good to get the first goal," said Nilson. "We knew we had a psychological advantage. When we scored, I think they sensed that a little bit."

The Danes couldn't fool Gustavsson on their own subsequent man advantages starting less then a minute later, with Christian Backman nabbed for hooking. They were blanked again when Victor Hedman was sent off for slashing in the first minute of the 2nd period. Denmark's failure to capitalize 5-on-4 would prove fatal.

Galbraith held his ground when Andreas Engqvist got a golden chance from the slot just over 4 minutes into the 2nd period. But simply missed Jonas Andersson's quick release when the Swedish forward burst down right wing and beat him stick side at 7:21.

It was Andersson's fourth goal of the tournament, tying him for the team lead with Magnus Paajarvi Svensson. The 29 year old from Dynamo Minsk is shining in his maiden World Championship voyage.

Sweden extended its lead to 3-0 at 12:29 with a nice shorthanded goal when Rickard Wallin blasted to the net and got a centering pass from Engqvist, putting it over Galbraith's goal.

Just 49 seconds later, the Danes fought back to make it 3-1 when captain Jesper Damgaard stepped into a slap shot from the right faceoff circle, over powering Gustavsson on the short side.

The Swedes gave Denmark very little in the third, and nearly stretched their lead to three goals with under 8 minutes left when Magnus Johansson pinched in and forced Galbraith to make a challenging glove stop.

On the power play with 6:43 remaining, Linus Omark put Sweden up 4-1 with a perfect shot inside Galbraith's converting a cross ice pass from Niklas Persson.

"The Difference was their power play," said Bodker. "They scored some goals on it and overall they had the better team."

The Danes, at this point, had no more chances of coming back then a jar of pickled herring does of swimming wild and free in the Baltic Sea.

Morten Madsen added a power play marker on a great slapshot to cut the deficit 4-2 with 2:25 left, and then the Danes pulled Galbraith for the extra attacker. They got off a few attempts, but it wasn't enough.

Denmark's best three players of the tournament were honored afterwards: Peter Regin, Frans Nielsen, and Patrick Galbraith.

IHWC Playoffs Stage

With the Qualifying & Relegation Rounds now done with. It's down to the last 8 and man do we have surprises. Canada finished 4th in the Group, Switzerland is looking like a serious threat to win an international medal despite the losses against Norway and Sweden.

Also we have Denmark making it's first ever IHWC Quarterfinals along with Germany bouncing back after a pair of poor performances recently by making the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2003.

Thursday starts to get fun as the Knockout Rounds will get underway with 2 Quarterfinal games from Mannheim and Colonge. Then after an off-day on Friday, Saturday will have the Semifinals which both of them will be in Colonge.

Sunday will feature the Medal Rounds as we will crown this year's World Championship Medalist.

Here's a look at the Playoffs Schedule which begins on Thursday.

Quarterfinals (Thursday)

#2E Finland VS. #3F Czech Republic 4:15 PM Local Time/9:15 AM CDT in Colonge

#1F Sweden VS. #4E Denmark 4:15 PM Local Time/9:15 AM CDT in Mannheim

#1E Russia VS. #4F Canada 8:15 PM Local Time/ 1:15 PM CDT in Colonge

#2F Switzerland VS. #3E Germany 8:15 PM Local Time/1:15 PM CDT in Mannheim


Semifinals (Saturday)

The Saturday Matches will be announced by the Tournament Org.


Medal Round (Sunday)

Bronze Medal Game (SF Losers) 4:15 PM Local Time/9:15 AM CDT

Gold Medal Game (SF Winners) 8:15 PM Local Time/1:15 PM CDT

IHWC Group F: Sweden shutouts Switzerland while the Czechs surprise Canada

It was a bit of a minor surprise, the Czechs were looking to get their offense going on what has been a luck luster tournament scoring wise. But 2 goals in the 2nd period allowed the Czechs to hold on and overtake Canada for 3rd and giving Canada a tough road to the IHWC Gold Medal by finishing 4th in the Qualifying Round and having to face Sweden who looked very strong against Switzerland.



From the International Ice Hockey Federation: http://www.iihf.com/





Canada 2 Czech Republic 3 (1-1, 0-2, 1-0)



Canada VS. Czech Republic Game Photos: www.iihf.com/channels10/iihf-world-championship-wc10/pictures/page/0/game/CAN%20-%20CZE.html



By Andrew Podnieks



From Mannheim, Germany: The Czech Republic got two goals in the 2nd period to break a 1-1 tie and skated to a 3-2 win over Canada. As a result, they finish at least in 3rd place in Group F and advance, with Canada, to the Quarterfinals. It was a bitter and tense battle that showed signs of being one more punch or check away from getting out of hand.



Canada finishes fourth and will play the winner of the Russia-Finland Game tonight as the Czechs will play the loser of that game. All the Quarterfinals will be played on Thursday.



"We're going to have to go through the tough teams eventually," said Canadian forward John Tavares. "In whatever order it is, it doesn't matter. It's a new slate for everybody, and it's do or die now."



Today's loss was a historic one in the worst way for Canada. It marked the first time since the playoff system was adopted in 1992 that the motherland of the game has lost three games prior to the Quarterfinals.



It made for a strange afternoon as these teams met for an important game - and it was only the Qualifying Round. A loss by the Czechs meant a trip back to Prague, and a loss by Canada meant a likely quarterfinal date with Russia, the heavy favorites this year. The result was a very orney Czech Team that took two boarding penalties and started a fight. (That went into the books as a double minor for Tomas Rolinek and Steve Ott) in the first period alone.



As well, the Czechs came out flying, the more desperate team playing more aggressively. They had a couple of good chances early, but goalie Chris Mason, playing his best game of the tournament, stood his ground and made a couple of important saves.



However, it was Ray Whitney who drew first blood, for Canada, on a great play. He took a pass from Marc Giordano while coming down the right wing on a power play and cut in on goal as players from both teams converged on goalie Tomas Vokoun. With so many options, it seemed certain that Ray Whitney would pass, but the right-hand shot cut in on goal and slipped a backhand between the goalie's pads. Goalie Mason drew the 2nd assist on the play.



Canada was in control for most of the first period and was certainly the more disciplined team. The Czechs took three straight penalties, but Canada could not extend the lead. With less then two minutes to play, however, the inexperience of the 19 year old Jordan Eberle cost the team a goal.



He was too casual taking a pass in center during a power play and was checked off the puck by Jiri Novotny who fed Lukas Kaspar on the fly. Kaspar skated alone and deked Mason, sliding the puck between the goalie's pads at 18:20 to tie the game, 1-1. Eberle, meanwhile, sat on the bench for most of the rest of the game.



"I was a bit nervous when I was going in there," Kaspar said. "Because i'd missed an open net a couple of minutes before. I got the puck from Jiri and I was going in on the goalie. At first I thought shot, but it instead I deked him a little bit and put it through the legs."



Both teams continued to play on the edge in the 2nd period, with plenty of pushing and shoving and face-washes after the whistle, and both sides had some fine scoring chances. Mason and Vokoun were rock solid when tested, and an open period soon became more defensive, the next goal becoming more and more important.



Much of the 2nd half of the period was played between the blue-lines, but the Czechs got the go-ahead goal at 12:19 off a faceoff circle in the Canadian end. Jakub Klepis won the faceoff back to Ondrej Nemec sensational, one handed deflection of the puck while being checked, and the puck bounced past a helpless Mason (although it looked like Petr Vampola was the player who deflected the puck.)



They made it 3-1 near the end of the period on the power play when Michal Rozsival hit Kelpis with a pass between the defensemen, and Kelpis beat Mason with a stick-side deke to make it a 3-1 lead. This time, Vokoun had the assist.



Canada came within one on a wild play. Vokoun played the puck behind his own goal but was checked hard by Corey Perry, who knocked him hard into the ice. As Kelpis came into punch Perry in retaliation, the puck came out in front and Matt Duchene put it into the open net with 1:11 left in the 3rd period.



Canada couldn't tie the game with Mason on the bench in the final minute, but a wild melee broke out at the final horn and threatened to turn into a bench clearing brawl. Players from both benches remained disciplined they watch the players all over the ice pair off.



"There were scrums everywhere at the end and guys falling all over the place," said captain Whitney. "Unfortunately for Canada, there is no fighting, because were pretty decent at that."



And so, it's on to the Quarterfinals for both teams on Thursday, and then the real fun begins. Win 0r go home. The question for Canada is simple: where is the team speed and scoring? For the Czechs, it's about momentum. Can they build on their last two wins in a do-or-die game on Thursday?

Switzerland 0 Sweden 5 (0-1, 0-2, 0-2)

Switzerland VS. Sweden Game Photos: www.iihf.com/en/channels10/iihf-world-championship-wc10/pictures/page/0/game/SUI%20-%20SWE.html

From Lukas Aykroyd

From Mannheim, Germany: Forget about neutrality. Sweden convincingly beat Switzerland 5-0 in their final Qualification Round game to clinch the top spot in Group F. The Swedes will take on Denmark in Thursday's Quarterfinals, while the Swiss will play the host Germans.

This anticipated showdown simply turned into an exhibition of Swedish Puck Control, discipline and patience. The tone was the polar opposite of the chippy victory over Canada earlier. Apart from the maintaining of good civil order (Both teams took two minor penalties apiece.) There was also little to cheer about for Swiss fans among the 5757 on hand at the SAP Arena.

"The score might have looked easy, but it was a tough game for us," said Sweden's Victor Hedman. "We played well, and knew we had to come out strong. The Swiss have had a good tournament, but Markstrom was unbelievable game in net, too. We scored on our chances, and that was the difference."

Sweden Tony Martensson set the tone with a goal and two assists, while team scoring leader Magnus-Paajarvi Svensson added a goal and an assist.

The Swedes are fixtures in the final 8, never having missed out on the IIHF instituted the playoff system in 1992. In fact, Sweden had never finished lower then seventh (2000) in its modern history. Switzerland gradually emerging as a hockey power, will make its sixth straight appearance in the Quarterfinals.

Both teams dressed their backup goalies, and Swedes Jacob Markstrom recorded his first ever World Championships shutout over Switzerland's Tobais Stephen. Switzerland out-shot Sweden 28-25.

"We had the chance to finish first for the first time in our history, but the Swedes came out really hard and pressured us." said Swiss Defensemen Goran Bezina. "And it seemed like after that, we didn't have the juice to battle in the corners."

Sweden has historically dominated Switzerland. The Swedes earned the playoff wins over Switzerland en route to World Championships gold in 1992 and 1998, and beat them in the Quarterfinals prior to claiming the 2006 Olympic Title.

The Swiss who posted surprising wins over the Czechs and Canada, need to rediscover their game quickly after dropping two straight, including a 3-2 loss to underdog Norway.

At 3:02, the Swedes drew first blood as Paajarvi-Svensson finished off a sweet give-and-go play with Martensson, taping the puck into a wide-open net. It was the highlight of a conservatively played first period, in which Sweden out-shot Switzerland 8-4.

Just 48 seconds into the middle frame, Tre Kronor went up 2-0 when Johan Harju blasted a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle over Stephan's glove.

"The first period was 1-0, and we felt like we had a chance, but after the 2nd goal they played really solid defense and it was very tough to come back," said Bezina. "We didn't have the energy to attack the net, and they got all the bounces."

The confident Swedes started to relax at this point. Controlling the puck, Linus Omark twice gestured with his stick behind the Swiss net as if he was about to attempt the "lacrosse goal" pioneered by University of Michigan forward Mike Legg. However he simply elected to make a centering pass.

At 3:40 of the 2nd, Victor Hedman made it 3-0, deftly converting a cross-ice pass from Martensson over Stephan's glove. It was the 19 Year Old Tampa Bay blue-liner's first career World Championship Goal.

The Swiss called a timeout to regroup, but the game had already slipped away from them. Seconds later, Sweden's Niklas Persson got a breakaway and backhanded the puck high off the post.

In the third period, the Swedes continued their dominance. Jonathan Eriksson hammered a shot off the end boards and Fredrick Petterson smartly snared the rebound, tucking it home for a 4-0 lead. Less then a minute later, Martensson's centering pass deflected in off Swiss defenders for the fifth Swedish goal.

With under 10 minutes left to play, Markstrom made some of his best saves of the game during a Swiss power play with Mikael Backlund off for slashing.

"We knew they would never give up, even when it was 3-0, so we had to keep the forecheck high and make simple plays all the time," observed Hedman. "And now, we look forward to the Danish Game."

Sweden is hoping to win this tournament for the first time since 2006, while Switzerland is gunning for its first world Championship Medal since 1953 when they won Bronze.

Final Group F Standings

1. Sweden 4-0-0-1 12 PTS 18-7

2. Switzerland 3-0-0-2 9 PTS 12-11

3. Czech Rep. 3-0-0-2 9 PTS 10-11

4. Canada 2-0-0-3 6 PTS 22-12

5. Norway 2-0-0-3 6 PTS 9-26

6. Latvia 1-0-0-4 3 PTS 12-16

Advanced to the Quarterfinals

Eliminated from the IHWC

Final Rankings for teams ranked 9-16. Plus the 2 Teams that have won Promotion from Division 1.

9. Norway

10. Slovakia

11. Belarus

12. Latvia

13. U.S.A.

14. France

15. Italy

16. Kazakhstan

Austria and Slovenia won promotion from the IHWC Division 1 Tournaments and will compete in the 2011 IHWC in Slovakia.

Quafilying Round Group E: Host through to QFS, Russia finishes 1st

The Qualifying Round wrapped up today with 4 games that helped determined the Quarterfinal matchups which will be headed by Russia and Sweden having the top seeds for the Quarterfinals. Also Denmark are through to the last 8 for the first time ever while the hosts Germany are through the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2003.

Every inch was battled for in the Germany Slovakia game as the hosts felt the pressure of getting back to the Quarterfinals, while Slovakia had missed out on the IHWC Playoffs for the 3rd straight year. 2008 saw the worst year when a German win sent them down to the relegation round.

It took a two game sweep of Slovenia in the Relegation Round that year to keep their spot, while in 2009 3 straight losses in the 2nd round against Finland and the Czech Republic. Only a 3-2 OT Win was the only saving grace for the Slovaks, as they finished 2 points back of Belarus for the 4th and final spot in the Quarterfinals.

Regardless of the Quarterfinal result, Germany will hope to use this a springboard after two very bad performances in the last year.

After a 15th place finish in the IHWC last year and finishing 11th in the Olympics. Germany is hoping to use thier upcoming Quarterfinal Matchup against Switzerland as a successful end to a great event and maybe pull off a great upset after Switzerland had been slipping a bit after losing 5-0 to Sweden earlier today.


Slovakia 1 Germany 2 (0-1, 1-1, 0-0)

Slovakia VS. Germany Game Photos: www.iihf.com/channels10/iihf-world-championship-wc10/pictures/page/0/game/SVK%20-%20GER.html

By Risto Pakarinen

In Colonge, Germany: Every inch of the ice was a battlefield as Germany and Slovakia went head-to-head for a spot in the Quarterfinal. Backed by their home crowd, the Germans pushed through with a 2-1 win. Alexander Barta and Daniel Kreutzer scored a goal each, Dennis Endras made 20 saves in route to the win.

"Sure, they was pressure to get back after what happened in Switzerland. We got a lot of pressure after that tournament and I think we deserved it," said German Defensemen Christian Ehrhoff.

It's the first time since 2003 under then coach Hans Zach that the Germans reached the Quarterfinals.Seven years ago the Germans lost eventual gold medal winners Canada 3-2 in OT. Third period goals by Lasse Kopitz and Daniel Kreutzer tied up the score before Eric Brewer scored the game-winner 37 seconds into OT.

After twenty something games this season, and a few days of frenetic computing about different matchups to see who'd advance and who would not, the game between Germany and Slovakia came down to an easy set up. The team that got more points out of the game would advance to the playoff stage. This time it was the Germans while Slovakia missed out on the Quarterfinals for the 3rd straight year.

"We knew it was going to be a big fight, and a low-scoring game. We knew we'd be fighting for every inch of the ice. Maybe we didn't have hockey luck or hockey sense, but we couldn't score a second goal," said Slovakia's captain Richard Linter.

Germany got a perfect start to the game when Alexander Barta scored the first goal of the game at 7:19. Barta came flying down the right wing, and found Daniel Kreutzer waiting for the puck at the far post. Barta got the puck him, but Kreutzer's shot missed the net. Fortunately for Germany, it bounced from the backboard to Barta, who had half the net to choose where to place his backhander.

Slovakia had only five shots on Germany's goal in the first period.

Germany took command of the game early in the 2nd period again. At 4:42, Barta and Kreutzer made it a two goal game, this time Kreutzer getting the goal. Barta and Sven Felski put pressure on the Slovak defense behind the net, Barta grabbed a loose puck and found Kreutzer alone in the slot and this time, he didn't miss, and beat Peter Budaj high on the stick side.

Felix Schultz 4 minute high sticking penalty gave Slovakia its chance to get back in the game. With 20 seconds remaining in Schutz's latter penalty, Marek Savtos got the puck at the hash marks, he cut to the middle, went around the German defensemen, and fired a hard and accurate wrist shot to top shelf, beating Endras on the glove side, at 19:17.

Slovakia made a final push with one minute remaining, but the game ended in Germany's victory dance in front of Endras's net.

"You just want to get your body in front of the shots and guys out in front of the net. Once you hear the siren you are relieved," Ehrhoff said.

"We're just going to enjoy the night and see what happens tomorrow," he added.

Slovak Captain Richard Linter said the teams was "disappointed, but not upset."

"I know for sure that all our guys left 100% on the ice," he said.

On another note for the Germans, the org. committee announced during the game that with tonight's attendance, 15,100, they also met the attendance goal for the tournament, 400,000 fans.

Germany was the fourth team to qualify for the Quarterfinals, and with the win. The Germans overtook Denmark for 3rd and will face Switzerland, who finished 2nd in Group F.

Russia 5 Finland 0 (1-0, 2-0, 2-0)

By Risto Pakarinen

From Colonge, Germany: Russia rolled over Finland 5-0, getting goals by five different players and a shutout by Semyon Varlamov, Ilya Kovalchuk got two assists and Maxim Afinogenov got a goal and assist as well.

"With the new rules its all about the special teams and I think our penalty killing was great and the power play worked tonight. It is important for the Quarterfinals," Kovalchuk said.

The last time Russia left a World Championship rink as a loser was in 2007 when they lost to the Finns 2-1 in OT. Since then, the team has raked in 23 wins. Before their game against Finland. Now the win count is at 24.

Finland started the game very strong, they came out of the gate like they meant business. And they did. Finland Pressured the Russian defensemen, and created several good scoring chances. Unfortunately for the Finns, when it was time to put the puck to the back of the net, they hit the posts instead, three times.

"They played very well in the beginning," Kovalchuk admitted.

Russia got into some penalty trouble halfway through the period, with Alexi Emelin and Demitri Kulikov taking penalties with a minute from each other. But the Russian defense, and goaltender Semyon Varlamov kept the Finns off the scoreboard.

Then it was Finland who ran into penalty trouble. The Russian power-play showed why it needs to be feared. Finland's defensemen Topi Jaakola injured itself, turning the situation into a 5-on-3 play. Alexander Ovechkin one-timer failed but the puck found its way to Sergei Federov, who was waiting for it at Petri Vehanen's doorstep, and tapped in the puck at 16:42.

"We are pretty good. We have almost all the guys who played in the Olympics and we have some great atmosphere in the room," said Kovalchuk said.

In the 2nd period, Finland lost players when Defensemen Jusso Hietanen and Pusi Puistola were injured and Jukka Jalonen to shuffle the lines - and - having already decided to rest defensemen Lasse Kukkonen and Petteri Nummelin - moved team captain Sami Kapanen down to defense.

"I wasn't trying to hurt him, but I play in front of the on our power play, and have to make sure I make some room for our guys," Kovalchuk said about the situation where Hietanen was injured.

Maybe that's why Finland also ran into major penalty trouble in the 2nd period, taking six minors, and Jussi Jokinen's ten minute penalty for hitting to the head.

"Kapanen was excellent tonight. We hang five defensemen for half of the game, and he was our top-two defensemen," coach Jalonen said.

Given multiple chances, Russia finally scored at 13:52 when Ilya Kovalchuk got the puck in the slot, and waited until a Finnish defensemen hit the ice to block a shot, then stepped around him and fed the puck to Evgeni Malkin, who shot the puck through Vehanen's five hole to make it 2-0.

Right after the faceoff Maxim Afinogenov got the puck deep into the Finnish zone, and took the shot that Vehanen's was able to stop with his leg pad. The rebound escaped the Finnish defense but not from Nikolai Kulemin who gave Russia a three goal lead at 14:02.

"We started well, but didn't stick to our system tonight," and didn't have the speed we need in our game," said Kapanen.

Russia put the game to bed, for good, early in the 3rd period. Frist Kovalchuk sent a pass from the hash marks to the point and Emelin one-timed it high on Vehanen's stick-side to make it 4-0 2:15 into the 3rd period.

But Russia wasn't done yet, a mere 40 seconds after the fourth goal Afinogenov grabbed a loose puck on the Finnish blueline, took a step into the slot, and banged the puck past Vehanen for the fifth time in the game.

Russia won Group E and meets Canada in the Quarterfinals. In the other Olympic Quarterfinal rematch, Finland will take on the Czech Republic.

Final Group E Standings

1. Russia 5-0-0-0 15 PTS 20-6

2. Finland 3-0-0-2 9 PTS 11-11

3. Germany 2-0-1-2 7 PTS 8-8

4. Denmark 2-0-0-3 6 PTS 12-10

5. Belarus 1-1-0-3 4 PTS 5-10

6. Slovakia 1-0-0-4 3 PTS 8-18


Clinched Quarterfinal Berth

Elinamted from the IHWC


Final Group E Schedule

5/14: Slovakia 0 Denmark 6 (0-6, 0-0, 0-0)

5/14: Finland 2 Belarus 0 (0-0, 2-0, 0-0)

5/15: Russia 3 Germany 2 (1-0, 1-1, 1-1)

5/16: Denmark 1 Russia 6 (0-2, 1-1, 0-3)

5/16: Germany 1 Belarus 2 (OT) (0-1, 0-0, 1-0, 0-1)

5/17: Finland 5 Slovakia 2 (0-0, 3-0, 2-2)

5/17: Belarus 2 Denmark 1 (0-1, 1-0, 1-0)

5/18: Slovakia 1 Germany 2 (0-1, 1-1, 0-0)

5/18: Russia 5 Finland 0 (1-0, 2-0, 2-0)


Quarterfinal Matchups on 5/20

Colonge

#1E Russia VS. #4F Canada

#2E Finland VS. #3F Czech Republic


Mannheim

#1F Sweden VS. #4E Denmark

#2F Switzerland VS. #3E Germany

IHWC Relegation Round Update: Kazakhstan and Italy sent down

The Relegation Round ended today with the Italians giving the Americans a tough battle as the Americans finally ended the game in OT to finish on top and 13th overall to end a disappointing tournament after finishing 4th last year.

Despite the point in the OT, it wasn't enough to keep them up in the IHWC for the 2011 Season as they needed the full 3 points to avoid relegation.

After trading goals in the first period, the desperate Italians went up 2-1 and were looking to hold on and send France down to DIV. 1, but when Ryan Potulny made it 2-2 midway through the 3rd period to tie the game. In the end, T.J. Oshie got his 4th goal of the tournament to finish with 8 points in the Relegation Round and won all 3 Relegation Games by scoring 17 goals against Kazakhstan, Italy and France.

France sent Kazakhstan down with a huge 3 goal 1st period. Even though Kazakhstan was able to stay up with them to make it 3-2. When France scored 9 minutes into the 3rd period to make it 5-2. It pretty much sunk Kazakhstan's chances of staying up for the 2011 IHWC which will be in Slovakia.

To replace Kazakhstan and Italy, it will be Austria and Slovenia who won the Division 1 Tournaments in late April. The teams will be joining Japan, Lithuania, Netherlands, Ukraine, Great Britain, Hungary, South Korea and Poland. Moving up from Division 2 to Division 1 for the 2010-2011 season will be Spain and Estonia who won the Division 2 Tournaments this season.


From the International Ice Hockey Federation Website: www.iihf.com

USA 3 Italy 2 (SO) (1-0, 0-1, 1-1, 0-0, 1-0)

USA VS. Italy Game Photos: www.iihf.com/sk/channels10/iihf-world-championship-wc10/pictures/page/0/game/USA%20-%20ITA.html

By Alan Adams

From Colonge, Germany: It was one of those bittersweet moments for the United States at the IIHF World Championship on Tuesday.

T.J. Oshie scored on a wrist shot in a sudden-death shootout to give the United States a 3-2 win at the 2010 IIHF World Championships. Oshie was the seventh shooter for the Americans and he took all three shots in the Sudden Death Shootout for the USA.

The point the USA gained when the OT Buzzer sounded to end the third period and sent the game to OT guaranteed that the Americans would ne demoted to the IIHF's 2nd tier. The USA wound up in first place in the Relegation Round, while France was second.

"The hockey gods were not with us", said USA Defensemen Jack Johnson. "I'am glad we can look forward to next year. We're glad it is over but we're glad for next year."

"There was an immense amount of pressure," said Brandon Dubinsky. "I do not know if a USA Team has ever been relegated before, and none of us wanted to be part of the first one."

Italy and Kazakhstan were demoted.

"We got a good point out of a good team, that was good," said Italian forward Roland Ramoser. "I think we did a good job here, but we should have beaten France, that's where we lost the tournament."

The USA went into the game knowing the easiest way to avoid the embarrassment of being sent down was to beat the Italians and there times when the USA played so much better then in the Italian end someone might have through the ice was tilted.

The Italians sent a shock wave across the U.S. Bench at 6:49 of the third period on a goal by Stefano Margoni put Italy ahead 2-1. He took a pass at center and was in full flight when he sent a wrist shot that got past goalie Scott Clemmensen, who didn't look sharp on the play.

Italy was close to a sensation as they needed the full three points to stay in the top division. The Italians have had to beat the USA by 8 or more goals to help send the Americans to the 2nd tier of international hockey.

The Americans put on a full court press after the Italians went up 2-1 in an attempt to get the equalizer but goaltender Daniel Bellissimo was up to the challenge, and he had help from his teammates. The Italians often had all five skaters below the top of the faceoff circles in their end and not as many shots made it through the maze as the U.S. would have liked.

But there was nothing Bellissimo could do when Ryan Potulny pounced on a rebound and shoveled the puck into the net to tie the game at 11:08 of the third while the U.S. was on the power play.

American Forward David Moss was robbed of a goal on a breakaway with 44 seconds left in the third period when Bellissimo kicked out his right pad to boot a backhand shot into the corner.

Dubinsky scored his third goal and collected his ninth point of the tournament in the first period to open the scoring. The U.S. was on its second power play of the first period when Dubinsky stepped into a slap shot that beat Bellissimo high to the stick side at 11:45.

Giulio Scandella broke free of the USA Defense and scored on a breakaway with six minutes left in the 2nd period, ending the USA's shutout run at exactly 154 minutes, to tie the game at 14:00.

The Americans had shutouts over Kazakhstan and France in earlier relegation round games. The last time the U.S. won back to back games in the same year without allowing a goal in the World Championship was in 1939 with a 4-0 win over Poland and a 1-0 triumph over Czechoslovakia early on in prelim round play.


Kazakhstan 3 France 5 (2-3, 0-1, 1-1)

Kazakhstan VS. France Game Photos: www.iihf.com/channels10/iihf-world-championship-wc10/pictures/page/0/game/KAZ%20-%20FRA.html

By Lucas Aykroyd

From Mannheim, Germany: France kept its place in the World Championship, relegating Kazakhstan with a 5-3 win on Tuesday Afternoon. The French will be back for 2011 with the U.S.A, while it's farewell to Kazakhstan and Italy.

With the conclusion of the Relegation Round, the Americans finish in 13th place, while France is 14th, Italy 15th and Kazakhstan finishes last in 16th place. The U.S. and France will play in the 2011 IIHF World Championship in Bratislava and Kosice, Slovakia, taking place in between April 29 and May 15, 2011.

Five different players scored for France, which got two power play goals to double it's overall tournament output. Laurent Gras tallied the eventual winner with 6:17 left in the first period.

French goalie Fabrice Lherny earned the biggest win of the tournament versus Kazakh starter Vitali Yeremeyev, as Kazakhstan out-shot France 38-22.

"We had just one goal today and that was to win," said Lhenry. "It wasn't a pretty game, and we scored a couple of garbage goals, but they went in. The most important thing with the victory, and now we stay in the top pool for next year."

With 7485 spectators on hand, the upper decks at the SAP Arena were packed with local school children, who enthusiastically cheered, jerred and banged their noisemakers through the game. The noise level was actually higher then at some earlier games involving bigger name teams, and the Kazakhs and French fed off the energy from the start.

"It was fun playing with all those screaming kids," said French Forward Stephane Da Costa. "It was different."

Just over four minutes in, on a rush into Kazakhstan's zone, French forward Yorick Treille slid heavily into the end boards and injured his left leg, which twisted awkwardly. He lay crumpled on the ice in obvious pain until attendants carried him off a stretcher. He was then transported to a hospital.

High pitched screams of the delighted greeted France's opening goal on the power-play at 8:39. Sacha Treille, from behind the goal line, snared the puck at Yeremeyev's right post and managed to bounce it off the net-minder's leg.

Kazakhstan responded two minutes later when Dmitri Dudarev won a faeoff in the French end, put a shot off Lehenry that bounced high, and then whacked it out of the air inn the midst of a crease scrum. It was the Metallurg Novokuznetzk forwards team leading fourth goal of the tournament. The French jumped back into a 2-1 lead at 12:19 when Captain Laurent Meunier capitalized on a turnover in Kazakh territory, stick handled his way down to the middle, and put the puck past Yeremeyev on his forehand.

At 13:43, Laurent Gras made it 3-1 France when he barged out of the corner, cut to the net and squeezed a shot through the Kazakh's goalie Roman Starchenko backhanded a shot home from a rebound from Maxim Semenov's point shot.

During an early second period Kazakh power play, Lhenry preserved France's lead with such clutch saves. And midway through the game, his teammates repaid him for his efforts during a power play of their own, as Baptiste Amar beat Yeremeyev through traffic with a center point shot to put France up 4-2.

The French extended their lead to 5-2 at 8:42 of the third period, as a rushing Pierre-Edouard Bellemare's shot from the left faceoff circle tipped off Roman Savchenko's stick and through the goalie. Vadim Krasnoslobtsev scored for Kazakhstan with 6:42 remaining, converting a rebound high over Lhenry's glove to make it 5-3. But that was as close as the former Soviet republic would get.

"We're about the same level as they are, so we just tried to play well defensively, and we had a pretty good game," explained by Stephane Da Costa. "In the end, we played harder. We hit more, and we know they don't like that."

France has retained its spot in the Top Division for the 3rd straight year. Kazakhstan can make its return no earlier then the 2012 Worlds, co-hosted by Finland and Sweden.

Italy and Kazakhstan will play in the World Championship Division 1 Tournament in April 2011. Unless something big changes, the applicants for the two tournaments will by Budapest, Hungary and Kyiv, Ukraine.


Final Relegation Round Standings

1. U.S.A. 2-1-0-0 8 PTS 17-2

2. France 2-0-0-1 6 PTS 7-8

3. Italy 1-0-1-1 4 PTS 5-6

4. Kazakhstan 0-0-0-3 0 PTS 4-17


USA & France will keep their spots for the 2011 IHWC in Slovakia

Italy and Kazakhstan have been sent down to the 2011 IHWC Division 1 Tournament.


Relegation Round Schedule

5/15: USA 10 Kazakhstan 0 (4-0, 5-0, 1-0)

5/15: Italy 1 France 2 (0-1, 0-0, 1-1)

5/16: France 0 USA 4 (0-0, 0-2, 0-2)

5/16: Italy 2 Kazakhstan 1 (0-0, 0-0, 2-1)

5/18: USA 3 Italy 2 (SO) (1-0, 0-1, 1-1, 0-0, 1-0)

5/18: Kazakhstan 3 France 5 (2-3, 0-1, 1-1)

IHWC Qualifying & Relegation Round Update

With the Qualifying & Relegation Rounds about to wrap up tomorrow at the Ice Hockey World Championships. Here's an update of where we are as we get ready for the Quarterfinals which are on May 20.

Group E Action

3 of the 4 Quarterfinal spots have been clinched Russia with their offensive superstars with players like Alexander Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk have got them leading Group E and looking strong towards a 3rd straight World Championship Gold Medal, 2nd Round wins over Denmark and Germany has them at 4-0-0-0 and with a win over Finland tomorrow, would clinch the top spot for the Quarterfinals which would get them a matchup with either the Czech Republic, Norway or Latvia who are in a big battle for the 4th and final Quarterfinal Spot in Group F.

Denmark has been this year's big surprise which have included a 6-0 win over Slovakia plus strong wins over Finland and the USA in this year's tournament which have them in the last 8 for the first time ever in the current format.

With a strong and growing group of players in the Swedish Elitsern, plus NHL'ers Peter Regin, Frans Nielsen plus a couple of strong prospects in Lars Eller with the Peoria Rivermen and Philip Larsen who's with the Dallas Stars org.

This is a team that is looking to finish off what's been a disappointing international season by not promoting to the WJC & U18 World Championships, plus not making the Olympic Tournament as well, when they got beat arch rival Norway in the Final Round of Olympic Qualifiers last season. Despite a rough showing against Russia, a win against Denmark could possibly get them a 2nd seed and an improved shot of pulling off a Quarterfinal Upset.

Here's a look at the current Group E standings through 5/17

1. Russia 4-0-0-0 12 PTS 15-6

2. Finland 3-0-0-1 9 PTS 11-6

3. Denmark 2-0-0-2 6 PTS 12-10

4. Germany 1-0-1-2 4 PTS 6-7

5. Slovakia 1-0-0-3 3 PTS 7-16

6. Belarus 0-1-0-3 2 PTS 5-11


Clinched Quarterfinals Spot

Eliminated from Quarterfinal Contention


Group E Schedule

5/14: Slovakia 0 Denmark 6 (0-6, 0-0, 0-0)

5/14: Finland 2 Belarus 0 (0-0, 2-0, 0-0)

5/15: Russia 3 Germany 2 (1-0, 1-1, 1-1)

5/16: Denmark 1 Russia 6 (0-2, 1-1, 0-3)

5/16: Germany 1 Belarus 2 (OT) (0-1, 0-0, 1-0, 0-1)

5/17: Finland 5 Slovakia 2 (0-0, 3-0, 2-2)

5/17: Belarus 2 Denmark 1 (0-1, 1-0, 1-0)

5/18: Slovakia VS. Germany

5/18: Russia VS. Finland


Group F Update

Despite Switzerland losing the 1st Game of the Qualifying Round, this Swiss team is finally capable of breaking through to win their first major international medal as Switzerland, Sweden and Canada in a battle for the top spot of Group F.

Switzerland's chances took a hit today as Norway a close game 3-2 as the Norwegians came out swinging for 3 goals in the 1st period to go up 3-1, despite a goal early in the 3rd period, Switzerland has been very dangerous by beating Canada in the 1st round and a win over the Czechs in the 2nd Round.

In the other end of the 2nd Round, the battle will comedown to Norway and the Czech Republic as a Latvian Loss pretty much ended their chances with a 3-1 loss in a game that just ended a little while ago.

Norway helped their chances and upped their record to 2-2 with a 3-2 win over Switzerland with a 3 goal 1st period. Norway will have to hold their breath and hope that Canada beat the Czechs as both teams are currently at 6 points in the standings.

The final day of the 2nd Round will have Canada VS. Czech Republic and Sweden against Switzerland which should determine who gets the top spot. The Group Winner will play either Germany or Slovakia as they will play tomorrow.


Here's a look at the current standings through 5/17

1. Sweden 3-0-0-1 9 PTS 13-7

2. Switzerland 3-0-0-1 9 PTS 12-6

3. Canada 2-0-0-2 6 PTS 20-9

4. Czech Rep. 2-0-0-2 6 PTS 9-7

5. Norway 2-0-0-3 6 PTS 9-26

6. Latvia 1-0-0-4 3 PTS 12-16


Clinched Quarterfinal Spots

Eliminated from Quarterfinal Contention


Relegation Round

After losing 2 games in OT during the Prelim Round, the Americans are looking to use their frustration to recover from the bad 1st Round. So far, they have done that with shutouts wins over Kazakhstan (10-0) and France (4-0) as the Americans pretty much gotten themselves out of the Relegation Trouble. As for the race to avoid relegation.

Kazakhstan is pretty much doomed with a 10-0 loss and a 2-1 loss to Italy. As for the other spot, it comes down to Italy & France as the two 1-1 teams. France has the advantage as they have already played the Americans. Italy plays the USA tomorrow as Italy's hopes come down to goaltender David Bellissimmo as he has kept the Italians in a majority of the games in this tournament, he will have to bring his A game and then some to keep the Americans from running up the score and sending them down to the DIV. 1 Tournament for next year.

Relegation Round Standings as of 5/17

1. USA 2-0-0-0 6 PTS 14-0

2. Italy 1-0-0-1 3 PTS 3-3

3. France 1-0-0-1 3 PTS 2-4

4. Kazakhstan 0-0-0-2 0 PTS 2-11


Kept their spot for the 2011 IHWC Tournament.


Relegation Round Schedule

5/15: USA 10 Kazakhstan 0 (4-0, 5-0, 1-0)

5/15: Italy 1 France 2 (0-1, 0-0, 1-1)

5/16: France 0 USA 4 (0-0, 0-2, 0-2)

5/16: Italy 2 Kazakhstan 1 (0-0, 0-0, 2-1)

5/18: USA VS. Italy

5/18: Kazakhstan VS. France

IHWC Qualfiying Round:Switzerland atop Group F, while Russia grounds Germany

The 2 Qualifying Round Games from Saturday provided for some interesting action as Switzerland is looking like the biggest threat team to finally break through and win and international medal after taking down the Czechs 3-2 where a 2-0 1st period was able to stand despite a strong showing from Jamior Jagr. Goals by Andreas Ambuhl scored twice while goalie Martin Gerber made 30 of 32 shots stopping a very strong Czech Side from attempting a comeback late in the game.

Group E saw the Russians edge Germany in a back-and-fourth game before emerging with a 3-2 and overtaking Finland and Denmark for the Top spot in Group E with 2 games left in the 2nd Round. Germany is starting to slide a bit as the Germans are still in fourth with being ahead of both Slovakia and Belarus on Goal Differential right now and still have hope of making the Quarterfinals.

From the International Ice Hockey Federation Website: www.iihf.com

Russia 3 Germany 2 (1-0, 1-1, 1-1)

From Risto Pakarinen

From Colonge, Germany: Germany rocked Russia like a hurricane, making the red machine work for the full 60 minutes, but in the end, it was Russia had something that the Germans didn't: Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Ovechkin.

Kovalchuk got the first, and Ovechkin the last goal. Semyon Varlamov made 32 saves for Russia. Germany's Christan Ehroff scored in his first game of the tournament and goaltender Dimitri Kotschnew turned away 33 Russian shots.

"It was a tight game, and we expected that kind of game. Germany played good hockey," Viktor Kozlov said.

Russia had a powerful offense as Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Semin, Maxim Afinogenov. Germany doesn't have them, but they do have the backing of the home crowd. Except in that game against Russia, the guests were almost as loud.

The Deutschland cheers got drowned out under Shaibu every once in a while, until they picked up steam, and, in turn, got the upper hand for a second. The black, red, and Gold of Germany mixed with the red, white and blue of Russia to create a living mosaic in the stands.

"The atmosphere was great. There were a lot of Russian fans, too." said German Captain Marcel Goc.

On the ice, the Germans put up a valiant fight, out-shooting Russia, 13-12 in the first period. Semyon Varlamov didn't have too much trouble turning away all 13 shots, though.

"We knew that they would have the puck more then we, and that's how it went. We played a defensivley game, made some good plays, and got the puck to the net as much as possible," Goc said.

With six minutes remaining in the first period, Alexander Frolov took a slap-shot from the blue-line. Alexander Ovechkin tried to deflect the puck in, but missed. However, the puck hit the boards behind the net and bounced back in the front of the net on the other side of the net. Ilya Kovalchuk stepped up and fired a wrist shot to the far post, beating Germany's goaltender Dimitri Kotschnew for the first time in the game, at 14:20.

Germany created more chances in the 2nd period, but again, Russia scored first when Viktor Kozlov got the puck to Maxim Afinogenov off a faceoff in the German Zone. Afinogenov, his back to the sideboards, sent the puck through to the front of the net, and Nikolai Kulemin deflected it in, through Kotschnew's five hole for a 2-0 lead at 6:10 into the 2nd period.

Down, but not out. Cheered by the home crowd, Germany got itself back into the game just as the buzzer signaled the end of the period. Michael Wolf checked in a Russian defensemen behind the net, snatched the puck, and sent it to the front of the net. The Vancouver Canucks defensemen Christian Ehroff, playing in his first game of the tournament, rushed to the net and one timed a wrist-shot top shelf at 19:59.

"They played us tight and they took a lot of emotion from the crowd. They have great fans and fed off that," said Pavel Datsyuk who joined the team yesterday.

With 10:14 remaining in the game, Ovechkin got the chance he'd been waiting for. Kovalchuk fed him the puck to the slot, and Ovechkin ripped a wrist shot that beat Kotschnew on the stick side, giving the Russians a two goal lead.

Four minutes later, it was a one goal game again as Alexander Barta grabbed a rebound, and beat Varlamov from the doorstep, at 13:19. Germany pressed hard with six skaters for the last 45 seconds, but Varlamov stood tall.

"We had our chances. We just need to be a little cooler when she got a chance, but I think we can be staisfied with our performance," said Goc.

Russia is still undefeated in the tournament. The team's next game is tomorrow against Denmark.

"They're a good team, they've proved in this tournament. They will make it tough for us," Kozolv said.

Germany plays Belarus, tomorrow as well.


Group E Standings as of 5/15

1. Russia 3-0-0-0 9 PTS 9-5

2. Denmark 2-0-0-1 6 PTS 11-4

3. Finland 2-0-0-1 6 PTS 6-4

4. Germany 1-0-0-2 3 PTS 5-5

5. Slovakia 1-0-0-2 3 PTS 5-11

6. Belarus 0-0-0-3 0 PTS 3-9



Group E Schedule

5/14: Slovakia 0 Denmark 6 (0-6, 0-0, 0-0)

5/14: Finland 2 Belarus 0 (0-0, 2-0, 0-0)

5/15: Russia 3 Germany 2 (1-0, 1-1, 1-1)

5/16: Denmark VS. Russia

5/16: Germany VS. Belarus

5/17: Finland VS. Slovakia

5/17: Belarus VS. Denmark

5/18: Slovakia VS. Germany

5/18: Russia VS. Finland



Switzerland 3 Czech Republic 2 (2-0, 1-2, 0-0)

By Andrew Podnieks

From Mannheim, Germany: Andreas Ambuhl scored two goals and Martin Pluss added another to lead Switzerland to an impressive 3-2 win against the Czech Republic at the SAP Arena Tonight. Winning goalie Martin Gerber also stopped 30 of 32 shots in the win.

"We were very excited, very ready for this match," said Swiss defensemen Felicien Du Bois.

The win gives Switzerland first place in Group F with a perfect record of 3-0-0-0 for nine points, three clear of Sweden and Canada. It also disproved any suggestion that the team's last game, a 4-1 win over Canada was a mere fluke.

"We had a bad start to the game," said Czech Head Coach Vladimir Ruzicka admitted. "The Swiss were faster, and we made a lot of mistakes."

The incredible play of the Swiss continued right from the opening faceoff as they clearly held the edge in play. They were rewarded at 4:13 when a Goran Bezina shot could not be controlled by Czech goalie Tomas Vokoun. Pluss was right their to snap the puck loose into the open net to give Switzerland the early lead.

The defining moment of the night came with just under six minutes left in the opening period. Jiri Novotny controlled the puck inside his own blue line but was knocked to the ice by Ambuhl, who immediately passed passed to Thibault Monnet. Monnet passed to Damien Bruner, who was streaking hard to the net, but as soon as he got the puck he passed across the grain to Ambuhl, who moved to the net after hammering Novotny. He took the pass from Bruner and roofed it over his head a sprawled Vokoun who cleary thought that Brunner would shoot.

It was kind of a tic-tac-toe play only a team playing with the greatest of confidence can make, and it proved once and for all in this tournament that the Swiss are a genuine playoff team with a chance for a medal. Their last world Championship medal was a Bronze in 1953 with only three teams particpated.

The Czechs came out a lot more determined to start the second and were rewarded with a goal to get them back in the game. Jakub Voracek made a nice pass from behind the goal to Jan Marek at the top of the blue line, and Marek made no mistake with his quick release between Martin's Gerber pads to make it 2-1 game at 4:07.

Ambuhl got his second of the night at 11:47 on another play. He came down the right wing on a 2-on-1 with Monnet, stick handling as if he clearly wanted to pass the puck. But instead he fired a low shot between Vokoun's pads as the goalie was readying to play the pass. It was a smart goal, a goalscorer's goal, and it put the Swiss back in control of the game.

Three minutes later, though, the Czechs got a lucky one. Roman Cervenka won a faceoff in the Czech end and Miroslav Blatak snapped a quick shot from the point. It wasn't moving fast, but it was redirected off the stick of Pluss and into the top of the corner past a helpless Gerber.

The Swiss dodged a bullet late in the period when they ran into penalty trouble. But even though the Czechs had a 5-on-3 for 1:17, they couldn't tie the score and period ended 3-2 for the Swiss.

"We got back into the game in the 2nd period, but we didn't score on our 5-on-3," Ruzicka noted with a disappointment."

If the Swiss were more enthusiastic and creative in the first period, they were more determined and presistent by the third. They got back to the puck first and hemmed the Czechs in their own end for long periods, fustrating their opponents to no end and preventing any razzle-dazzle play by their opponents off the rush.

Both teams are back in action on May 17 when Switzerland faces Norway in the afternoon and the Czechs play Latvia at night.

Said Julien Vauclair about facing the under-manned Norwegians: "I think we have to step up to the point we've been very well prepared by our coaching staff. We've got to keep our feet on the ground. The most important thing for us now is to recuperate and get ready for this match."


Group F Standings as of 5/15

1. Switzerland 3-0-0-0 9 PTS 10-4

2. Canada 2-0-0-1 6 PTS 19-3

3. Sweden 2-0-0-1 6 PTS 10-5

4. Czech Rep. 1-0-0-2 3 PTS 6-7

5. Norway 1-0-0-2 3 PTS 6-19

6. Latvia 0-0-0-3 0 PTS 4-13



Group F Schedule

5/14: Canada 12 Norway 1 (1-1, 7-0, 4-0)

5/14: Sweden 4 Latvia 2 (3-1, 0-0, 1-1)

5/15: Switzerland 3 Czech Republic 2 (1-0, 1-1, 1-1)

5/16: Latvia VS. Norway

5/16: Sweden VS. Canada

5/17: Norway VS. Switzerland

5/17: Czech Republic VS. Latvia

5/18: Canada VS. Czech Republic

5/18: Switzerland VS. Sweden

IHWC Relegation Round: USA Crushes Kazakhstan and France edges Italy

The IHWC Relegation Round got underway yesterday as the Americans are looking to make the best of a bad situation as the Americans got a 10-0 thrashing of the Kazakhs to open the Relegation Round. It's a tough blow for Kazakhstan as the Kazakhs will have it very tough to keep their spots for the 2011 IHWC Tournament as Italy and France still haven't won a game. But at least they have been able to keep their games close.



France won the first crunch game as the French forward Laurent Grasp used an early 3rd period goal to get the French their first win of the tournament and an early edge in the Relegation Round.



From the International Ice Hockey Federation Website: http://www.iihf.com/



From Alan Adams



USA 10 Kazakhstan 0 (4-0, 5-0, 1-0)



From Colonge, Germany: Team USA Scored 4 times in the first period to match its entire goal production to date and the Americans went on to rout Kazakhstan 10-0 in a Relegation Round Game at the 2010 IIHF World Hockey Championship on Saturday. The USA is trying to avoid an ignominious fall from the IIHF top pool to its second tier and the win - the first in four games for Team USA at the 2010 Worlds - will help accomplish that.



Team USA Plays France on Sunday while Kazakhstan takes on Italy the same day.



For a team that could not score in its three prelim round games, the goals came quick and often for the United States in its first ever World Championship Game against Kazakhstan, Matt Gilroy led the way with a three-goal performance.



"We were embarrassed to be in this situation and it was great to get some goals and see the forwards rewarded for their efforts." said Team USA Captain Jack Johnson.



"We were anxious to get going."



"It's good to get the goals, said Team USA Head Coach Scott Gordon. "For all the scoring struggles we have been having, its quite a relief for some of the guys."



T.J. Oshie scored on a wraparound at 0:55 of the first period on the First USA Shot of the game. Oshie was in the right place at the right time when defensemen Maxim Semenov misplayed on the loose puck and goaltender Alexei Kuznetsov was caught completely off guard when the American forward swept around the net and scored.



Kyle Okposo made it 2-0 just 18 seconds later, again thinks to a miscue by Kazakh defender behind the net. This time Oshie picked up the loose puck and Okposo snapped a centering pass into the net at 1:13.



Gilroy went end-to-end to make it 3-0 at 8:53. He deeeked Semenov just inside the Kazakh blueline to slip past him and then whipped a wrist shot that beat Kuznetsov cleanly on the low on the glove hand side. Gilory then made it 4-0 at 10:20 to complete the first period goal splurge for the Americans.



Kuznetsov was put on the bench at the start of the 2nd period but his replacement, Pavel Zhitkov, fared no better.



When Nick Foligno scored at 8:03 of the 2nd period, it was the USA's fifth goal of the game and that's one more goal then the Americans had during the prelim round in three straight games in the 16 team tournament. The rout continued not long after, with Ryan Potulny scored at 6:34 and Gilory completing the hat trick 10 seconds later. Brandon Dubinsky made it 8-0 at 18:44 and Tim Kennedy followed with a goal at 19:29.



Chris Kreider scored with 1:03 left in the game for the only goal of the 3rd period and to make it a perfect 10 on the afternoon.



"The Americans are the strongest team in the group. They should not be here," said Kazakhstan Head Coach Andrei Shayanov.



As for the Kazakhs, they had two good scoring chances in the 2nd period denied by goaltender Scott Clemmensen.



Clemmensen did the splits to kick out a wrist shot by Roman Starchenko with his right pads at the 3:38 mark of the 2nd period. Then two minutes later, Alexei Vorontsov's shot was blocked by Clemmensen, who was on the bench to start the 3rd period.



Ben Bishop finished the game in net for the Americans.





From Lucas Aykroyd



Italy 1 France 2 (0-1, 0-0, 1-1)



From Mannheim, Germany: Oui, ca va bien! France continued its recent domination of Italy on Saturday, prevailing 2-1 in a tight checking affair at the SAP Arena to kick off the Relegation Round. Laurent Gras scored the winner early in the third period.

The last time these two nations met in Relegation Round action, it was 2008, and the French sent Italy down with wins of 3-2 and 6-4 in a two game series in Quebec City. This time, the Relegation Round participants are playing a round-robin, with no points carried over from the Prelim Round.

With its first win of the 2010 Worlds, France now has a big three points as it vies for a fourth straight berth in the elite Division. Italy remains winless in four straight games.

Baptiste Amar also scored for the French. Michele Strazzabosco had the lone Italian goal.

"We fought hard and worked as a team," said Amar. "We know we're not technically the best team, but we work hard as a group, and we were rewarded today."

French goalie Fabrice Lhenry out-dulled Italy's Daniel Bellissimo for the victory. The Italians out-shot the French 29-22.

There's no rest for these teams. On Sunday, France will face the Americans, coming off a lopsided victory over Kazakhstan. That day, Italy will take on the Kazakhs in a must win game.

"This game is history," said Italy's head coach Nicola Fontanive. "We can't change history. We have to come out and win tomorrow."

France opened the scoring at 4:34 when Stephane Da Costa behind the goal line and snapped it high over Bellissimo.

A couple of minutes later, Lhery was alert to stop Giulio Scandella, who got a step on the French defense and fired a swift, low shot into the netminders pads. Lhery stayed sharp as the Italians out-shot France 9-5 in the first period.

In the 2nd period, the Italians kept pressuring for the equalizer on their first power play during a holding penalty to Nicholas Besch. But they could only generate flurries around the French net, including a nice right wing rush and backhanded move by Luca Ansoldi.

"We tried to use our speed and forecheck to create our chances." noted France's Amar. "We wanted to keep the puck on the out-shot and not get fancy."

With about seven minutes left in the middle frame, France nearly took a two-goal lead when Gras's shot squeezed through Bellissimo, but the Italian Defenders manged to sweep the puck away from the goal line before any damage was done.

The chances kept coming but neither side could capitalize. With less then four minutes before the buzzer, France's Anthonie Lussier stick-handled in on a breakaway, but lose control of the puck at the last instant. Coming back the other way, Italy's Giorgio de Bettin zinged one off Lehnry's crossbar.

An early third period power-play saw France go up 2-0 at 3:14 when Gras banged to the front of the net, whacking in the 2nd rebound from Kevin Hecquefeuille's point showing before flying in the air.

The Italins got a glouris opportunity to get on the board with a short 5-on-3 man advantage. Just as it turned to a 5-on-4, Strazzabosco's drive from the center point beat Lehnry five hole to make it a 2-1 game with 8:56 left.

Unfortunately, Strazzanbosco's took a late tripping penalty that hurt his team's chances of coming back. Gras had a great chance for his second on the night on a breakaway, but Bellissimo said no. Regardless, it was too late for Italy, which pulled its netminder for the extra attacker as well.

"Their goalie was the best player, but one goal wasn't enough," said Fontanive. "We were able to score more goals if we expect to win."

Altough this game was sparsely attended, fans in the stands generated their own atmosphere by paring up with tournament mascot Urmel for some of the most demonstrative dancing seen yet at this year's World Championship.

Relegation Round Standings

1. USA 1-0-0-0 3 PTS 10-0

2. France 1-0-0-0 3 PTS 2-1

3. Italy 0-0-0-1 0 PTS 1-2

4. Kazakhstan 0-0-0-1 0 PTS 0-10

Relegation Round Schedule

5/15: USA 10 Kazakhstan 0 (4-0, 5-0, 1-0)

5/15: Italy 1 France 2 (0-1, 0-0, 1-1)

5/16: France VS. USA

5/16: Italy VS. Kazakhstan

5/18: USA VS. Italy

5/18: Kazakhstan VS. France

IHWC Qualfiying Round Group F: Canada crushes Norway, Sweden Controls Latvia

Canada used a 7 goal 2nd period turned what was a decent effort by Norway and into an absolute blowout as Canada used that to springboard them to a 12-1 win. Bettering Denmark's 6 goal 1st period earlier in the day.

Meanwhile between Sweden and Latvia had little issues to deal with Latvia with 3 first period goals by 3 different players gave them a 4-2 win over Latvia who's still looking for their first points of the 2nd Round. So far, their only win came against Kazakhstan which got them to the 2nd Round.

From the International Ice Hockey Federation Website: www.iihf.com

From Andrew Pondieks

Sweden 4 Latvia 2 (3-1, 0-0, 1-1)

Sweden VS. Latvia Game Photos: www.iihf.com/channels10/iihf-world-championship-wc10/pictures/page/0/game/SWE%20-%20LAT.html

From Mannheim, Germany: Sweden had little trouble defeating Latvia, 4-2, tonight at SAP Arena. Four different goalscorers contributed to the victory while Martins Karsums had both Latvian Goals.

The win gives Sweden six points and a place in top spot of Group F with Switzerland and Canada, although the Swiss have a game in hand. Latvia remains in 6th and last place with no points in three games.

"We let the game slip away," Latvian defensemen Janis Sprukts said. "We made it easy for them. They have a lot of speed from their forwards, and we couldn't shut them down."

"It was a pretty good game for us," Henrik Peterson suggested. "We got the three points and have time to work on a few things now."

The game started out with a feverish pace, the first minutes packing more action into it then most of the rest of the game. It began with Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson picking up a rebound in his own end to open the scoring. He simply blew by defensemen Georgijs Pujacs and slid the puck along the ice to Edgars Masalskis fell sideways to give Sweden a 1-0 lead just 37 seconds into the game.

On the ensuing faceoff, the Latvian's replied. This time Sprukts made a nice pass from the side of the net of to net to Karsums, and his quick shot to the far side surprised Markstrom. Only 56 seconds from the opening faceoff the game was tied, 1-1.

Four minutes later, the Swedes took the lead again when Olivier Ekman Larsson's harmless-looking wrist shot from the point made its way through traffic in front past a screened Masalskis.

Tre Kronor upped its lead to 3-1 at 14:30 on a beautiful three-way passing play off the rush. The attack ended with a great pass by Rickard Wallin bring to the trailer on the play, Mikael Nylander, who walked in and drilled a great shot to the side of Masalskis. The play started with a pass coming over the blue-line from Christian Backman.

The Swedes dominated the 2nd period and Markstrom had previous few difficult saves to make in the middle 20 minutes. At one point, Tre Kronor had the puck in the Latvian end for about four minutes straight.

During this time, Fredrik Pettersson enlivened the proceedings when he had the puck behind the net and tried to score a lacrosse style goal. That is, he flipped the puck onto the blade of his stick and tried to stuff the puck in the short side. Masalskis got his shoulder and head over to the near post in time to keep the puck out, but full marks to Pettersson for originality and entertainment.

"It's something I've tried before, but tonight the goalie saw me I think and was able to get over. But I was in a good position to do it, and if I see the chance I'll try again."

The Swedes were on a constant to puck-possession hockey, and the Latvian's had no seeming answer to cut into the lead. But five minutes into the third period, Markstrom muffed a routine play allowed Latvia back in the game. Karsums came off the left side and barged in on goal, jamming the puck between Markstorm's pads.

The puck trickled down behind the goalie who then knocked the puck over the goal line in trying to squeeze his pads. This made for a move interesting finish then what Sweden had hoped for given their significant territorial and shots advantage in the game.

Tony Martensson finished the scoring late in the game with a bullet slapshot just inside the blueline that caught Masalskis napping.

Both teams play on Sunday. Latvia plays Norway in the afternoon followed by Sweden-Canada.

"We played a pretty good game tonight," Pettersson said, "but we still have a lot of little things we have to work on. We're much better as a team today then we were a week ago, but we can still improve."

Canada 12 Norway 1 (1-1, 7-0, 4-0)

Canada VS. Norway Game Photos: www.iihf.com/channels10/iihf-world-championship-wc10/pictures/page/0/game/CAN%20-%20NOR.html

From Andrew Podnieks

In Mannheim, Germany: Canada scored an easy 12-1 win victory over Norway this afternoon at the SAP Arena. Jordan Eberle, the 19 year old activated to the roster because of injuries, had a goal and 3 assists. Evander Kane had two goals and an assist, and the third member of the line, Rich Peverley, chipped in with a goal and two assists. It was Eberle's international debut at the senior level. He had played at the 2009 and 2010 World Junior Championships.

John Tavares had a hat trick for the winners in the tournament's leading total to six. Canada wore retro jerseys to honor the 2009 U20 U20 team, a fitting tribute that four of the players in today's game wore a year and half ago.

"The game almost gets a little easier when you're playing with such good players, Eberle observed. "Passes are always right on the tape, and you can do things you can't do in juniors. The guys are always talking to you."

The win puts Canada into first place tie with Switzerland in Group F of the qualifying round although the Swiss have a game in hand. Norway remains in 5th place with three points.

Canada's defensive trouble's cost the team the opening goal. Chris Mason made a save off a harmless shot, but the clearing in front of him was poor and the puck ended up on the stick of Jonas Holos at the top of the circle. His quick shot went under the blocker arm of Mason just 1:35 into the game for an early and surprising 1-0 lead for Norway.

"It's not the start that we wanted," Marc Staal said, "and it happened to us in the last game as well. It wasn't a good thing for our confidence, but we knew there was a lot of time left and we could score."

The period was mostly an unmitigated disaster for Canada and team was as flat as the crowd was small and quiet. The low point came midway through when defensemen Kris Russel and got the puck and at the same moment Corey Perry broke out of his end.

All Russell had to do was put the puck on his stick and Perry had a 40 meter breakaway. Instead, he drilled a too-hard pass easily three to four meters wide of his teammate, and instead of a breakaway, it was an icing call.

Canada tied the game at 13:09 off the rush. Marc Staal's original shot was stopped by Ruben Smith, but Evander Kane backhanded the rebound between the goalie's pads to tie the game. Smith was playing because number one goalie Pal Grotnes was serving an automatic one game suspension for a match penalty in the team's last game.

Later in the period, on a power play, Mac Zuccarello Aasen hit the post, but the period ended 1-1.

Canada found a bit of its mojo at 3:51 of the 2nd period on the power play. Ray Whitney's point shot was nicely tipped by Perry in front past Smith to give Canada a 2-1 lead.

"We didn't control the game in the first period," Marc Staal admitted, "but we were patient and then got some shots some time on the power play and got some goals."

Jordan Eberle made a fine little play to key Canada's third goal later in the third period. He made a nice back pass off the boards at the Norway blue-line to Matt Duchene. Duchene took the puck to the net and passed off the trailing defensemen, Marc Giordano made no mistake with his shot from the slot.

The 19 year old Eberle was called into action with injures to Ryan Smyth and Steve Stamkos and was a solid if unspectacular player. He didn't dominate the game by any means, but he also played smart, shifted well, and gave the team some valuable minutes.

And then the roof fell in for Norway. Canada scored three late goals in the period to make it 6-1. That last goal, by Steve Downie, resulted in two penalties for Norway. Ole-Kristian took a roughing minor and Captain Tommy Jakobsen took a five minute major and match penalty for bumping a ref. during discussions.

On the ensuring 5-on-3, Ray Whitney made it 7-1 and with the major penalty still in effect, Kane got his second of the game standing to back side and drilling a delicate and perfect pass from Eberle past the beleguered Smith.

In all, Canada scored 5 goals in a span of 3:06 at the end of the 2nd period. It had 7 goals in the period, four of which were on the power plays.

"We had a good first period, but then we took some stupid penalties and let them play their game," Mathis Olimb said. "We didn't follow our game plan, and then we got a couple of goals and then it just fell apart."

Eberle got his first goal of senior play early in the third period on a nice shot from in close. Tavares added two goals later to finish his hat trick performance and Duchene got the 12th goal on a pretty shot from in tight.

"I knew before the game i'd be on the power play with the second unit, but our line played very well early on and he (Coach Mactavish) kept playing us. It's nice to earn your playing time like that."

Canada's next game is Sunday Night against Sweden while Norway plays Latvia earlier in the day.

Group F Schedule

5/14: Canada 12 Norway 1 (1-1, 7-0, 4-0)

5/14: Sweden 4 Latvia 2 (3-1, 0-0, 1-1)

5/15: Switzerland VS. Czech Republic

5/16: Latvia VS. Norway

5/16: Sweden VS. Canada

5/17: Norway VS. Switzerland

5/17: Czech Republic VS. Latvia

5/18: Canada VS. Czech Republic

5/18: Sweden VS. Switzerland


Group F Standings as of 5/14

1. Canada 2-0-0-1 6 PTS 19-3

2. Switzerland 2-0-0-0 6 PTS 7-2

3. Sweden 2-0-0-1 6 PTS 10-5

4. Czech Republic 1-0-0-1 3 PTS 4-4

5. Norway 1-0-0-2 3 PTS 6-19

6. Latvia 0-0-0-3 0 PTS 4-13