The Semi-Official Hockey Thread...
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Joined: May 2001
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From: Nowhere
[QUOTE]VIENNA (CP) - Canada is going for the three-peat.
Canada jumped out to a four-goal lead and then held off a feverish Russian rally for a 4-3 semifinal win Saturday at the IIHF world championship.
Alexander Ovechkin's goal at 6:27 of the third period cut Canada's lead to one but Martin Brodeur held the fort with several outstanding saves, including one on Alexei Kovalev with five seconds left.
In the final on Sunday (TSN, 1:30pm et), Canada plays the winner of the second semifinal later Saturday (TSN, 2pm et) between Sweden and the Czech Republic.
Canada beat Sweden in the last two world championship finals.
Wade Redden, Sheldon Souray, Dany Heatley and Ed Jovanovski scored for Canada.
Alexei Yashin, who was without a point in Russia's first seven games, scored and set up Alexander Semin's goal.
The Canadians came out looking to shoot at every opportunity at shaky Russian goaltender Maxim Sokolov and it paid off 1:38 into the game when Redden got a big rebound on a shot from the slot and banged in the second chance.
Souray, who spent Canada's 5-4 quarter-final win over Slovakia on the bench, trailed in to fire Joe Thornton's pass into an open side at 5:46.
Canada was on a two-man advantage when Dan Boyle sent a pass across the crease for Heatley to bank in off Sokolov at 10:37.
Finnish referee Hannu Henriksson then took centre stage. He called nine minor penalties in the period, many of them dubious, including a diving penalty against Russia's Andrei Markov that had the crowd jeering.
Oddly, Henriksson called nothing until the final minute of a second period in which Canada went up 4-0 on a power play when Jovanovski shot a Rick Nash pass into an open net at 1:40.
Brodeur made a handful of smart saves as the Russians cranked up their attack before Semin finally scored at 14:22, firing a wrist shot from the left circle after Yashin won a faceoff.
Yashin's shot along the ice went in off defenceman Chris Phillips' skate at 19:18, giving new life to the boisterous Russian contingent in the crowd.
Notes - Mike Fisher, benched for the game against Slovakia, was used as a penalty killer against Russia. . . . Canada went into the game on a four-game winning streak over Russia at the world championship, with wins in 1996, 1997, 2001 and 2003. . . . Before the game, Canada had only one goal from its defence corps, but three blue-liners scored against Russia.
Canada jumped out to a four-goal lead and then held off a feverish Russian rally for a 4-3 semifinal win Saturday at the IIHF world championship.
Alexander Ovechkin's goal at 6:27 of the third period cut Canada's lead to one but Martin Brodeur held the fort with several outstanding saves, including one on Alexei Kovalev with five seconds left.
In the final on Sunday (TSN, 1:30pm et), Canada plays the winner of the second semifinal later Saturday (TSN, 2pm et) between Sweden and the Czech Republic.
Canada beat Sweden in the last two world championship finals.
Wade Redden, Sheldon Souray, Dany Heatley and Ed Jovanovski scored for Canada.
Alexei Yashin, who was without a point in Russia's first seven games, scored and set up Alexander Semin's goal.
The Canadians came out looking to shoot at every opportunity at shaky Russian goaltender Maxim Sokolov and it paid off 1:38 into the game when Redden got a big rebound on a shot from the slot and banged in the second chance.
Souray, who spent Canada's 5-4 quarter-final win over Slovakia on the bench, trailed in to fire Joe Thornton's pass into an open side at 5:46.
Canada was on a two-man advantage when Dan Boyle sent a pass across the crease for Heatley to bank in off Sokolov at 10:37.
Finnish referee Hannu Henriksson then took centre stage. He called nine minor penalties in the period, many of them dubious, including a diving penalty against Russia's Andrei Markov that had the crowd jeering.
Oddly, Henriksson called nothing until the final minute of a second period in which Canada went up 4-0 on a power play when Jovanovski shot a Rick Nash pass into an open net at 1:40.
Brodeur made a handful of smart saves as the Russians cranked up their attack before Semin finally scored at 14:22, firing a wrist shot from the left circle after Yashin won a faceoff.
Yashin's shot along the ice went in off defenceman Chris Phillips' skate at 19:18, giving new life to the boisterous Russian contingent in the crowd.
Notes - Mike Fisher, benched for the game against Slovakia, was used as a penalty killer against Russia. . . . Canada went into the game on a four-game winning streak over Russia at the world championship, with wins in 1996, 1997, 2001 and 2003. . . . Before the game, Canada had only one goal from its defence corps, but three blue-liners scored against Russia.
Joined: Jul 2001
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From: This is not my house!
shut out at the worlds....... 
It's been that kind of year for NA hockey - one to forget.
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Joined: May 2003
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From: Kelowna, BC
My buddy plays for Team Canada. I'm sure he'll be pissed about that loss when he gets back. I missed the game completely though, so I don't even know if I can bug him or not, because I don't know if he shat the bed, or if the whole team did.