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.

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