David Pastrnak and David Kampf scored as the Czech Republic shut out Switzerland 2-0 to win the ice hockey world championship on Sunday.
Boston Bruins forward Pastrnak broke the deadlock with 10:47 remaining in the final period, prompting the sold-out Prague Arena to erupt in wild celebration.
Pastrnak one-timed from his usual place in the left circle past goaltender Leonardo Genoni after being fed by defenseman Tomas Kundratek from the blue line.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 proud and happy for sure,B次元官网网址 Pastrnak said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 happy weB次元官网网址檝e made it. WeB次元官网网址檝e been waiting so long for the gold medal. It couldnB次元官网网址檛 come at a better moment than at home, for us and the fans in the stands who created an unbelievable atmosphere.B次元官网网址
Pastrnak scored his first goal at the tournament and Kampf added the second into an empty net with 19 seconds left when the Swiss pulled Genoni for an extra attacker.
Czech goaltender Lukas Dostal stopped 31 shots for the shutout.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 an unreal feeling, IB次元官网网址檓 speechless, itB次元官网网址檚 unbelievable, IB次元官网网址檓 proud of us all,B次元官网网址 said Dostal, who also shut out the United States in a 1-0 victory in the quarterfinals.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 my job, of course, I donB次元官网网址檛 care how we win, the most important thing is the victory. ItB次元官网网址檚 a playoff hockey and details decide it. Today the detail was that Pasta (Pastrnak) scored, that was the decisive moment,B次元官网网址 the Anaheim Ducks goaltender said.
It was the seventh title won by the Czech Republic B次元官网网址 or Czechia B次元官网网址 after the country was created in 1993 following the breakup of Czechoslovakia and the first since 2010.
Czechoslovakia won six titles.
The final was only the fourth game at the tournament for Pastrnak and his teammate Pavel Zacha who joined the team after the Bruins were eliminated from the NHL playoffs.
Genoni made 30 saves.
Switzerland is yet to win the title and recorded a runner-up finish for the fourth time. The previous three came in 1935, 2013 and 2018. They came close in 2018, losing to Sweden 3-2 in a shootout.
B次元官网网址淪ilver is silver and gold is gold, and we didnB次元官网网址檛 get gold, so it always hurts,B次元官网网址 the 40-year-old Swiss forward Andres Ambuhl said.
In the preliminary stage, Switzerland beat the Czechs 2-1 in a shootout and finished second in Group A behind Canada and a point ahead of the Czechs.
Backed by the home crowd, the Czechs went on the attack, outshooting the Swiss 23-17 in the first two periods but only hit the post (Dominik Kubalik) and the bar (Kampf) in the second period.
SWEDEN GETS BRONZE
Carl Grundstrom scored twice to rally Sweden to a 4-2 victory over Canada and a bronze medal.
Grundstrom netted his second goal with 6:18 left in the final period with a shot from the left boards to put Sweden ahead 3-2.
Star defenseman Erik Karlsson also scored with Marcus Johansson adding an empty net goal. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 20 saves.
ItB次元官网网址檚 the first podium for Sweden since winning the second of its back-to-back titles in 2018, when it beat Switzerland in the final.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 proud of the way we bounced back from yesterday (losing to the Czech Republic),B次元官网网址 said SwedenB次元官网网址檚 Victor Hedman, another star defenseman. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a quick turnaround to play five games in seven days,B次元官网网址 he said. B次元官网网址淵ou lose one of the 10 games usually youB次元官网网址檙e in a pretty good shape but we lost the wrong one.B次元官网网址
Canada last played a bronze medal game in 2018 and lost to the United States 4-1. Since then, the Canadians won the trophy twice and finished runner-up twice with the 2020 edition canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Tournament top scorer Dylan Cozens got his ninth goal and Pierre-Luc Dubois added another for Canada, the 28-time champion which finishes empty handed.
Canada didnB次元官网网址檛 meet its goal to take home the gold but captain John Tavares said he had no regrets coming.
B次元官网网址淚t was really special for me to have this opportunity to be the captain and come to represent Canada, something I didnB次元官网网址檛 take lightly and really wanted to make most of it,B次元官网网址 Tavares said.
B次元官网网址淭he guys competed hard, we just didnB次元官网网址檛 execute well enough to get the job done.B次元官网网址
Karel Janicek, The Associated Press