Canada eliminated in Olympic men’s hockey after a quarter-final loss to Sweden
Canada’s quest for a medal in men’s hockey at Beijing Olympics ended on Wednesday after a 2-0 loss to Sweden in the quarterfinals.
The playoffs were tight all the time and were goalless until 10 minutes into the third period.
Swedish forward Lucas Wallmark got the puck on a turnover in the Canadian zone and fired a shot on goal just outside the door. It took a rejection from Tyler Wotherspoons club on the way to the net and went over goalkeeper Matt Tomkins’ blocker for the lead with 1-0.
Canada tried to press for an equalizer and pulled their goalkeeper with three minutes left of the final frame. Sweden’s Anton Lander was able to get the puck, however, and buried it in an open net to secure a 2-0 win.
A victory for Sweden creates an all-European semifinal. Finland, the Russian Olympic Committee and Slovakia are the other teams that have advanced in the tournament.
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USA away from the Beijing Olympics, finals for men in hockey after penalty shootout loss against Slovakia
Another North American hockey powerhouse, USA, was knocked out by Slovakia in a close match that ended in a penalty shootout.
Slovakia won the quarter-final match 3-2, which beat the American team’s hopes of a medal in an almost repetition of the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang. In those matches, the USA also fell in the quarterfinals 3-2, but against the Czech Republic.
Canada’s loss means that the nation will not win a medal in men’s hockey for the first time since the 2006 Games in Turin.
The team was looking to bounce back from the bronze medal it won at the Pyeongchang Games 2018, and return to the line of gold medals it had in previous matches.
Canada finished the 2022 tournament with a record of 3-2.
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