Global Courant 2023-05-26 01:57:35
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TAMPERE, Finland — Canada secured a place in the semi-finals of the World Hockey Championship and also avenged a memorable loss to host Finland on Thursday.
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Jack Quinn, Samuel Blais, Michael Carcone and Tyler Toffoli scored as Canada recorded a 4-1 victory at the Nokia Arena.
Teemu Hartikainen scored for Finland late in the third period, but Toffoli answered less than a minute later to freeze victory.
“We knew it was going to be an exciting game,” said Canadian goalkeeper Samuel Montembeault, who made 27 saves. “But that big third goal for us took the weight off our shoulders.”
Carcone made it 3-0 at 2:54 of the third period after Quinn and Blais put Canada ahead early.
Hartikainen finally gave the home crowd something to cheer about when he recorded with 3:07 left to play, but Toffoli scored an empty netter with 2:18 remaining.
Emil Larmi made 27 saves for Finland.
Finland defeated Canada 4-3 in overtime to win gold last May. It was the third time in a row that the two sides played for gold at this event.
Canada next plays Latvia, a surprise 3-1 winner over perennial contender Sweden. In the other semifinal on Saturday, the United States will meet Germany.
Medal games are scheduled for Sunday.
Finland beat Canada in 2019, but Canada won the rematch two years later. The 2020 tournament has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on May 25, 2023.
