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Canada Escapes Sweden To Reach Gold Medal Game At Worlds

POSTED: 9:27 pm EDT May 16, 2008

(Sports Network) - Mike Green notched the game-winner late in the second period and added a pair of assists, as Canada edged Sweden, 5-4, in a rousing semifinal matchup at the 2008 World Hockey Championship.

Green put the Canadians ahead by two with seven seconds to play in the period, as he streaked down the right wing and snuck a wrister on the short side and under the crossbar past Swedish netminder Henrik Lundqvist.

Fredrik Warg closed the gap to 5-4 with 5:39 left in regulation, and Canada hung on in the waning seconds with three faceoffs in its defensive zone to gain the final.

Dany Heatley and Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and assist each for Canada. Rick Nash and Jamal Mayers also tallied, while Pascal Leclaire made 30 saves.

Anton Stralman hit the net twice and Niclas Wallin once for the Swedes. Lundqvist was pulled after 40 minutes, allowing five goals on 27 shots. Mikael Tellqvist finished the game and stopped all 11 shots he faced.

Heatley and Stralman traded goals in the first period, but after Wallin lit the lamp 2:46 into the second, Getzlaf and Mayers tallied about 4 1/2 minutes apart to give Canada a 3-2 edge.

Stralman scored a power-play goal at 11:26 to knot the game, then Nash scored the go-ahead goal a little more than a minute later.

Canada will square off against Russia for the title on Sunday in Quebec's capital. Finland and Sweden will continue its intense rivalry for the bronze medal game on Saturday.

In the earlier semifinal, Evgeni Nabokov stonewalled Finland, stopping 23 shots as Russia rolled to a 4-0 win.

The Russians will get a boost in the return of Atlanta Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk, who served a one-game suspension for a charging major and game misconduct he received in Russia's quarterfinal win over Switzerland.

Sergei Fedorov, Danis Zaripov, Alexei Morozov, and Maxim Sushinsky scored for Russia. Sergei Zinoviev added two assists for the Russians, who last reached the gold medal game in 2002, when they dropped a 4-3 decision to Slovakia.

NHL Headlines

Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes signed center Garth Murray to a one-year contract, the club announced Friday. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.


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