World Championships Update: Finland Knocks Off Canada to Claim Gold

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

A team of relative unknowns in Finland managed to pull off the sweep. Finland got a late goal from Kaapo Kakko to claim gold over Team USA at World Juniors in January. Now four months later, Finland is on top of the hockey world again after a 3-1 win over Canada in the Gold Medal Game.

Canada opened the scoring with Shea Theodore getting the goal at 10:02 of the first. Canada carried a 1-0 lead through the first period.

Finland got on the board at 2:35 of the second as Marko Antilla scored to tie the game. Finland carried the play early in the second before Canada pushed back in the latter half. After two periods, the game remained tied, 1-1.

Antilla provided the go-ahead goal in the third, ironically also at 2:35. With 4:06 to play, Harri Pesonen scored to make it a 3-1 game and ice it for the Finns.

Goalie Kevin Lankinen made 43 saves in the win. Matt Murray stopped 19 of 22 shots from Finland.

For Flyers players Sean Couturier, Phil Myers, Carter Hart and new head coach Alain Vigneault, the tournament ended with silver medals. Couturier had two shots on goal in 17:11 of ice time. Myers had one shot and rang another off the crossbar in 14:09 of ice time. Hart once again served as backup to Murray.

In the Bronze Medal Game, Russia defeated Czech Republic, 3-2, in a shootout. Radko Gudas had six shots on goal in 24:43 of ice time. Jake Voracek was silenced through 21:58 of ice time.

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