Thursday, December 30, 2004 7:31:15 PM
Finland 5, Sweden 4 ~ Dec. 29
Team Finland stays alive with four-goal rally
. 
Herald photos by Scott Fredrickson
Sweden's David Fredriksson slips a puck
in front of Finland goalie Tuukka Rask
as Jussi Makkonen defends.
Finland's Anssi Tieranta upends Sweden's Linus Videll with a check in Wednesday's World Juniors Championship game
Posted on Thu, Dec. 30, 2004
By Brad E. Schlossman
Herald Staff Writer
THIEF RIVER FALLS - When Nicklas Grossman's stick hit Finland forward Iivo Hokkanen in the face, it gave Team Finland hope.
Hokkanen and the Finns took full advantage.
Team Finland overcame a 4-1 third-period deficit, thanks in part to a five-minute major penalty on Grossman, to beat Sweden 5-4 in a game the Finns needed to win to stay in medal contention at the World Junior Championship.
Finland scored a pair of goals during the five-minute power play. Hokkanen, who came back after the vicious hit, scored the tying goal with 5 minutes, 50 seconds left in the third. Lauri Tukonen added the game-winning goal just 37 seconds later, capping the comeback Wednesday in Ralph Engelstad Arena.
The result means the Finns can still get into the medal round. Three teams - Finland, Sweden and Slovakia - are battling for the final two spots in Group B. Sweden plays Slovakia in Thief River Falls at 7:30 tonight, and Finland plays Canada, which has clinched a medal-round berth, today at 3:30 p.m. Here is what each team needs to do to get into the medal round:
• Finland can get in with a win or a tie against the Canadians. If the Finns lose to Canada, they can still get in if Slovakia beats Sweden or if Sweden wins by four or more goals.
• Sweden needs to beat Slovakia to advance.
• Slovakia can get to the medal round with either a win or a tie against Sweden. The Slovakians can also get in if they lose by one or two goals and Canada beats Finland.
"It's an amazing feeling," said Hokkanen, who later added he never considered staying out of the game after getting hit.
Instead, he returned with a large bandage above his upper lip. While he was getting checked out, his team used the five-minute power play to get jump-started and get back in the game.
Both coaches said the penalty was the turning point.
"That changed the game totally," Sweden coach Torgny Bendelin said. "Finland scored two goals on the power play. They got stronger, self-confident, and we got shaky."
In the first minute of the power play, Lauri Korpikoski and Jesse Joensuu scored 10 seconds apart to make it a one-goal game.
Hokkanen tied it eight minutes later when he flipped a backhander high to the left corner of the net from the slot. Tukonen's winning goal also came on a backhand shot.
"We had a bad game against Slovakia," Finland assistant coach Petri Matikainen said. "We haven't scored a lot of goals in the tournament. It all opened up against Sweden in the third period."
Finland pulled goaltender Tuukka Rask after the second period in favor of Joonas Hallikainen. Rask gave up two weak goals as the Swedes built their 4-1 lead. Hallikainen made 16 saves in the final period.
"(Hallikainen) played in the exhibition game against Canada, and he played well," Finland forward Lauri Korpikoski said. "It's nice to have two good goaltenders we can count on."
After the final buzzer sounded, a couple of Swedish players broke their sticks on the ice in frustration. Team Sweden forward Robert Nilsson, though, said he was happy his team still controls its own destiny.
"We should have won this game," Nilsson said. "Now it's a little harder. We just need to not think about this game too much. We still have something left to play for."
Team Finland stays alive with four-goal rally
. Herald photos by Scott Fredrickson
Sweden's David Fredriksson slips a puck
in front of Finland goalie Tuukka Rask
as Jussi Makkonen defends.
Finland's Anssi Tieranta upends Sweden's Linus Videll with a check in Wednesday's World Juniors Championship game
Posted on Thu, Dec. 30, 2004
By Brad E. Schlossman
Herald Staff Writer
THIEF RIVER FALLS - When Nicklas Grossman's stick hit Finland forward Iivo Hokkanen in the face, it gave Team Finland hope.
Hokkanen and the Finns took full advantage.
Team Finland overcame a 4-1 third-period deficit, thanks in part to a five-minute major penalty on Grossman, to beat Sweden 5-4 in a game the Finns needed to win to stay in medal contention at the World Junior Championship.
Finland scored a pair of goals during the five-minute power play. Hokkanen, who came back after the vicious hit, scored the tying goal with 5 minutes, 50 seconds left in the third. Lauri Tukonen added the game-winning goal just 37 seconds later, capping the comeback Wednesday in Ralph Engelstad Arena.
The result means the Finns can still get into the medal round. Three teams - Finland, Sweden and Slovakia - are battling for the final two spots in Group B. Sweden plays Slovakia in Thief River Falls at 7:30 tonight, and Finland plays Canada, which has clinched a medal-round berth, today at 3:30 p.m. Here is what each team needs to do to get into the medal round:
• Finland can get in with a win or a tie against the Canadians. If the Finns lose to Canada, they can still get in if Slovakia beats Sweden or if Sweden wins by four or more goals.
• Sweden needs to beat Slovakia to advance.
• Slovakia can get to the medal round with either a win or a tie against Sweden. The Slovakians can also get in if they lose by one or two goals and Canada beats Finland.
"It's an amazing feeling," said Hokkanen, who later added he never considered staying out of the game after getting hit.
Instead, he returned with a large bandage above his upper lip. While he was getting checked out, his team used the five-minute power play to get jump-started and get back in the game.
Both coaches said the penalty was the turning point.
"That changed the game totally," Sweden coach Torgny Bendelin said. "Finland scored two goals on the power play. They got stronger, self-confident, and we got shaky."
In the first minute of the power play, Lauri Korpikoski and Jesse Joensuu scored 10 seconds apart to make it a one-goal game.
Hokkanen tied it eight minutes later when he flipped a backhander high to the left corner of the net from the slot. Tukonen's winning goal also came on a backhand shot.
"We had a bad game against Slovakia," Finland assistant coach Petri Matikainen said. "We haven't scored a lot of goals in the tournament. It all opened up against Sweden in the third period."
Finland pulled goaltender Tuukka Rask after the second period in favor of Joonas Hallikainen. Rask gave up two weak goals as the Swedes built their 4-1 lead. Hallikainen made 16 saves in the final period.
"(Hallikainen) played in the exhibition game against Canada, and he played well," Finland forward Lauri Korpikoski said. "It's nice to have two good goaltenders we can count on."
After the final buzzer sounded, a couple of Swedish players broke their sticks on the ice in frustration. Team Sweden forward Robert Nilsson, though, said he was happy his team still controls its own destiny.
"We should have won this game," Nilsson said. "Now it's a little harder. We just need to not think about this game too much. We still have something left to play for."
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