Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Russia Tops Canada in OT To Take World Championship

QUEBEC CITY -- Russia came into the final of the IIHF World Championships Sunday as the underdog to the home team Canadians, who entered the tournament as the defending champions. Russia meanwhile had not won the tournament in 15 years, medaling only three times in that span.

Russia is a shadow of the Soviet Union squad that won 22 world titles, including a string of nine in 1963-1971, a run of dominance unsurpassed in the sport. But Ilya Kovalchuk's goal early in overtime sent the Russians to a 5-4 victory and returned a glimmer of the side's former glory.

From the IIHF:

Ilya Kovalchuk’s goal at 2:42 of overtime broke a 4-4 tie and gave Russia an historic gold medal today at the Colisée in one of the most anticipated finals games in many years. Kovalchuk also scored the tying goal with five minutes left in the third period. [more ... ]

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