Ice Hockey - Swedes beat Swiss in penalty shootout to defend world title
Ice Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Team Sweden hold a trophy after winning a gold medal. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor
(Reuters) - Sweden defeated Switzerland in a dramatic penalty shootout after a pulsating Ice Hockey World Championship final at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen on Sunday to retain the title they won against Canada in similar fashion a year ago.
With the game finishing 2-2 after overtimes, Swedish goalie Anders Nilsson saved three of five Swiss penalties and saw another fly wide to put his nation on the top step of the podium for the second year in a row.
Ice Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Team Sweden celebrate after winning the World Championship. REUTERS/David W Cerny
With all the pressure on hot favourites Sweden, the Swiss took the lead late in the first period through Nino Niederreiter but Gustav Nyquist rifled the puck into the top corner to level within a minute.
Undeterred, the Swiss went ahead once again early in the second period when Nyquist was penalised for high sticking as Timo Meier steamed down the right side and swept home the puck as the Swedes got caught out switching players.
Switzerland had to endure huge pressure from the defending champions for much of the rest of the period and Mika Zibanejad put the Swedes level again with a power play goal as Enzo Corvi sat out a two-minute penalty for holding.
Ice Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Team Sweden celebrate after winning the gold medal.
The Swedes tried to make the most of their superior skating with some mesmerising movement but the stifling Swiss defence held firm and the game finished 2-2, forcing a frenetic scoreless overtime period in which Sweden's Adam Larsson hit a post in the dying seconds.
Nilsson could not stop Sven Andrighetto's first penalty but that puck was the last to ripple his net as Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Filip Larsson scored before Nilsson stopped Niederreiter's effort to claim the title.
Earlier, Nick Bonino, Anders Lee and Chris Kreider fired a three-goal salvo in five minutes late in the third period as the United States outclassed Canada 4-1 in the bronze-medal game.
Ice Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Jacob de la Rose of Sweden celebrates after winning the gold medal. REUTERS/David W Cerny
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor in Stockholm; Editing by Clare Fallon)
Ice Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Team Sweden hold a trophy after winning a gold medal. REUTERS/Grigory DukorIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Filip Forsberg of Sweden celebrates after scoring during the penalty shootout. REUTERS/David W CernyIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Mikael Backlund of Sweden holds a trophy after winning a gold medal. REUTERS/Grigory DukorIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Filip Forsberg of Sweden celebrates after winning the gold medal. REUTERS/David W CernyIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Team Sweden celebrate after winning the gold medal. REUTERS/David W CernyIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Players shake hands after the match. REUTERS/Grigory DukorIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Goaltender Leonardo Genoni of Switzerland reacts after conceding a goal by Filip Forsberg of Sweden during the penalty shootout. REUTERS/David W CernyIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Goaltender Leonardo Genoni of Switzerland looks dejected after losing a match. REUTERS/Grigory DukorIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Raphael Diaz of Switzerland and goaltender Magnus Hellberg of Sweden. REUTERS/Grigory DukorIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Filip Forsberg of Sweden celebrates with teammates after scoring. REUTERS/David W CernyIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Team Switzerland look dejected. REUTERS/David W CernyIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Team Switzerland look dejected after losing a match. REUTERS/Grigory DukorIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Rickard Rakell of Sweden and Nino Niederreiter of Switzerland in action. REUTERS/Grigory DukorIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Enzo Corvi of Switzerland in action with goaltender Anders Nilsson of Sweden during the penalty shootout. REUTERS/David W CernyIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Filip Forsberg of Sweden scores the deciding penalty. REUTERS/David W CernyIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Adam Larsson and Filip Forsberg of Sweden in action with Timo Meier and Dean Kukan of Switzerland. REUTERS/David W CernyIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Mirco Muller of Switzerland and John Klingberg and goaltender Anders Nilsson of Sweden in action. REUTERS/Grigory DukorIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Mikael Backlund of Sweden and Roman Josi and goaltender Leonardo Genoni of Switzerland in action. REUTERS/Grigory DukorIce Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Gold Medal Match - Sweden v Switzerland - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 20, 2018 - Oliver Ekman-Larsson of Sweden. REUTERS/David W Cerny
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