- At the Ice Hockey World Cup in the Czech Republic, the host team narrowly beat the United States 1-0 in the quarterfinals.
- Finland forces Sweden to resort to extra time, but they lose 2-1.
- Canada easily defeats Slovakia and now challenges Switzerland.
- Click here for an overview of the semi-finals.
USA – Czech Republic 0:1
A lively, fast-paced opening third at a very exciting Prague Arena was missing just one thing: goals. The first came after the first intermission, on the Czechs' first power play. Trevor Zegras was in the cooler for just 16 seconds when Bruins veteran Pavel Zacha used his body to deflect the puck out of the goal.
Shortly afterwards, Roman Cervenka had the chance to make it 2-0 (31st), but hit the crossbar. In the final third, the hosts defended with courage and discipline and no penalty kicks were awarded. Goalkeeper Lukas Dostal stuck tight between the posts. After the match, he was rightfully named player of the match – stopping 36 shots and taking one blocked shot.
Sweden – Finland 2:1 EST
In the duel between the two northern countries, Sweden dominated at will. The shooting ratio was 24:8 in favor of “Tre Kronor” after 40 minutes, but the score remained equal at 0:0. The Swedes had to be patient – until the 56th minute. Rasmus Dahlin scored the supposed Swedish redemption goal.
Because the Finns, who had more chances in the final third, still had a ready answer: without a goalkeeper, Hannes Bjorninen equalized in the last minute and the match went into extra time. Finland's Konsta Helenius won the decisive penalty kick in the 65th minute of play. Just under a minute later, Joel Eriksson propelled AEK Sweden into the semi-finals, where they will face hosts Czech Republic.
Canada – Slovakia 6:3
Canada is participating for the tenth time in a row in the World Cup semi-finals. The defending champions rose to their role as early favorites in the clash with Slovakia. Jared McCann (3rd) on a backhand shot and Pierre-Luc Dubois (5th) after a deflection gave the Canadiens an early two-goal lead.
A failed defensive attempt by Canadian Brandon Hagel moved Slovakia back to eighth place. At the beginning of the middle third (24), the Canadians, in the person of Nick Paul, regained a two-goal lead. In the final third, three goals were scored within 46 seconds, with Canada's double goal (47 minutes) followed by the Slovaks 2:5 (48 minutes). Although they once again closed to within 3:5 (57th place), they conceded the all-important goal 3:6 through Paul in the last minute.
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