USA 3:1 FIN | USA - Finland (World Championship)

World Championship

Canada2 – Sweden2	3:2 (after OT)	\|	USA – Finland	3:1 (end)	\|	Czech Republic – Norway	1:0 (end)
Russia – Germany2	3:0 (end)

final

USA

3:1 (1:0, 0:0, 2:1)

Finland

Sunday 18.05.2014, 15:45 • Minsk Arena • World Championship

		Team USA takes the well-deserved win. Throughout the game Finland showed solid performance, but failed to endanger the net of Tim Thomas. USA takes the three points, and moves to the second place in Group B! (17:54:28)
	60:00	Game over.
	59:45	USA controlling the puck.
	59:14	The puck bounces above the stick of Finnish defenseman, and Tyler JOHNSON gets a hold of it, sending the puck in the empty net and sealing the game! Goal for Team USA!
	59:02	Rinne is pulled.
	58:45	Finns fail to handle the puck, have to begin yet another attack.
	58:36	Finally they reach the offensive zone.
	58:20	Two Americans forechecking the opponents. Finns fail to start an attack.
	58:10	Smith controlling the puck in the offensive zone.
	57:49	Nelson with a shot on goal.
	57:27	Yet another icing by USA.
	57:19	Icing by Team USA.
	56:46	Finland battles for the puck in the offensive zone, overtakes it, Kontiola passes it to the left side of the zone to Tuukka Mantyla. MANTYLA takes a slap shot that deflect from American stick and ends up in the net. Goal for Team Finland!
	55:50	USA finally clears the puck.
	55:33	Finns still driving the offense.
	55:11	Home team at full strength.
	54:55	Tim Thomas dives across the net to rob Jori Lehtera off a goal. The best chance for Finland tonight!
	54:31	USA clears it once over.
	54:15	Finns can't hold the puck in offensive zone.
	53:52	Nelson drives the puck to Rinne's net.
	53:38	Lehtera with a one-timer, the puck goes above the net.
	53:11	Jimmy Hayes heads to the box for slashing. Finland failed to enter the offensive zone, while six-on-five.
	52:50	Delayed call for Team USA.
	51:40	USA trying to slow the pace of the game down.
	50:16	A great chance for Jere Sallinnen, but he fails to deke the puck past Tim Thomas.
	49:55	USA controlling the puck in the offensive zone.
	49:22	Trocheck receives a magnificent pass, gets to the front of the net alone, but Lethera doesn't allow him to beat Pekka Rinne.
	49:06	Home team at full strength.
	48:40	Brock Nelson on a shorthanded rush, but Marttinen steals the puck away from him.
	48:32	Karalahti with a shot on net.
	47:06	Seth Jones heads to the box and gives an opportunity to the Finnish team.
	46:42	As soon as the Finnish pressure stops, Tyler JOHNSON receives the puck at centre ice, drives it to the middle of the offensive zone, and puts it in the upper left corner. Goal for Team USA!
	44:17	Olli Jokinen with a dangerous wrist shot, Thomas steers the puck to the corner.
	44:05	Nelson with a pass along the net, no one is there to acquire it.
	43:12	Salomaki battling for the rebound in front of the net, fails to beat Thomas.
	42:40	Finland controlling the puck during the first minutes of third period. Hasn't created a good scoring chance, though.
	40:01	Start of 3rd period.
		Both teams played a very entertaining and intense period. Both teams managed to create a couple of great scoring chances. Half-way through the period it was obvious Finland put in more effort in order to build pressure but failed to beat Tim Thomas. Last twenty minutes will certainly be as exciting as the second period. Whoever wins the game, becomes the leader of Group B! SOG: 17 – 10 (8 – 8) PIM: 6 – 8 (2 – 6)
	40:00	2nd period finished.
	39:44	Jonhson takes a shot on net, but nobody is there to collect the rebound.
	39:32	Komarov with a shot on net.
	39:01	A long distance shot by Shore, Rinne chooses to stop the puck.
	38:50	Some minor disagreements between players in from of Tim Thomas net. No calls being handed out by the referees.
	36:52	A backhand shot by Drew Shore, Rinne stops the puck.
	35:45	Both teams at full strength. Americans with the puck.
	35:23	A very fast-paced game as both teams continue to play four-on-four.
	34:57	Mueller's shot slides through the pads of Rinne, but Finnish defenseman clears the puck.
	34:45	Haula takes a shot from the side of the net.
	33:45	Both teams will play the next two minutes four-on-four.
	33:40	Visiting team at full strength.
	33:20	Tommi Sallinnen does a great job forechecking the puck.
	33:07	Finns clear the puck.
	32:38	Huge slap shot by Jones blocked by Finns.
	32:10	Erik Haula with a dangerous wrist shot, while shorthanded. Thomas somehow deflects the puck.
	31:40	Westerlund calls for a time out for Team Finland.
	31:40	Interference call for Jere Karalhti. Team USA on the power play once again. Unnecessary call for Finns.
	31:12	Icing by Team USA.
	30:30	Thomas finally gets a hold of the puck, the play is stopped. Finland seems to be more than eager to finally score.
	30:03	Sallinen acquires the rebound, takes a fast wrist shot that goes just above the crossbar.
	28:05	Finland building more and more pressure, overtaking the edge of the game. The number of shots on Thomas net is getting bigger each minute.
	26:05	Kontiola takes a slap shot, the puck gets blocked.
	25:46	Both teams are continuing to battle for the puck in each and every episode.
	25:08	Marttinen with a slap shot from the blue line, the puck goes wide.
	24:50	Huge slap shot by Savinainen. Thomas deflects the puck to the corner.
	24:31	Long stretch pass, but Wingels fails to receive it. Another icing for Team USA.
	23:50	Drew Shore gets past the blue line, and takes a shot on Rinne. Pekka stops the puck.
	22:38	Visiting team at full strength.
	22:15	Finns clear the puck.
	22:00	Finally Team USA creating pressure in the offensive zone.
	21:45	Americans have failed to create anything on the power play.
	20:38	An early penalty to Mantyla will give already the second chance for Team USA on the power play.
	20:01	Start of 2nd period.
		In the first twenty minutes of the game USA was the team which managed to score early in the game. Both teams failed to create an awful lot of scoring chances, yet the fast-paced game was intense, and there is certainly much more to look up to in the upcoming periods. SOG: 9 – 2 PIM: 4 – 2
	20:00	1st period finished.
	16:00	Finland continuing to control the puck.
	15:47	Home team at full strength.
	15:23	Huge slap shot by Karalahti from the blue line.
	14:34	Yet another set up by Kontiola, but Lehtera misses the empty net.
	14:20	A pass from Kontiola right along the crease, but Jori Lehtera fails to score the puck in the empty net.
	13:55	USA clears the puck down the ice.
	13:47	Wingels sent to the box for tripping against Leo Komarov. Finland is going to play 5-on-3 for the next 54 seconds.
	13:30	Murphy clears the puck.
	13:16	Finland in the offensive zone.
	12:42	Finland has been rather successful at creating pressure in the offensive zone tonight, still, it hasn't led to a single scoring chance so far.
	12:42	Danny DeKeyser gets sent to the box. A power play for Team Finland.
	12:17	Icing for Team USA as Jimmy Hayes fails to reach for the pass that would have led to a two-on-one breakaway.
	11:32	Visiting team at full strength.
	11:05	Immonen takes a shot on Thomas net, the puck goes wide.
	10:13	Rinne gets hold of the puck, the game is stopped.
	10:00	Tyler Johnson hits the post with a shot from the blue line.
	09:40	Craig Smith fails to hit the puck from right in front of the net.
	09:32	A tripping penalty for Tuukka Mantyla of Team Finland. The first power play of the game coming up for Americans.
	08:35	Offside by Team Finland.
	08:05	Finns clear the puck.
	07:56	USA controlling the puck in the offensive zone.
	07:28	Trocheck with a dangerous shot at Rinne's pads from the corner. Pekka struggles to stop it.
	07:00	So far this has been one of the fastest-paced games at this WC. Still, teams haven't managed to create any real scoring chances thus far.
	05:27	Finns still haven't taken a single shot on Tim Thomas net.
	04:27	Jimmy Hayes with a backhand shot from the corner, the puck goes wide.
	03:05	USA continues to play tight defensively.
	02:35	Finns try to enter USA defensive zone. They've failed for the past three, four times.
	00:19	Seth Jones dumps the puck from centre ice, Pekka Rinne heads behind the net, yet the puck makes an odd deflection from the glass, and ends up on the blade of Brock NELSON right in front of the net. Goal for Team USA!
	00:01	Game started.
		Starting lineups: USA: Thomas (Leggio) – Nelson, Johnson, Smith, DeKeyser, Jones – Gaudreau, Stapleton, Wingels, Gardiner, Murphy – Mueller, Trocheck, J.Hayes, McCabe, Petry – K.Hayes, Shore, McDonald, Donovan – Miele Finland: Rinne (Koskinen) – Lehtera, Kontiola, Palola, Mantyla, Hietanen – Haula, Jokinen, Komarov, Ohtamaa, Karalahti – Savinainen, Immonen, Pakarinen, Kivisto, Marttinen – Salomaki, T.Sallinen, J.Sallinen, Lajunen – Huhtala.
		Welcome to yet another game of the 2014 IIHF World Championship! Today Team USA will face Team Finland. The last time both teams met was at the Sochi Olympics Bronze Medal game, in which Finland managed to claim their third medal in the past three Olympics as well as already their sixth Olympic medal since 1988. Still, both teams have sent rather young rosters to the World Championship which has led to both of these teams currently being ranked only fourth and fifth in Group B. This game will be a chance for both of these teams to prove what they are really worth. Three poins would help a lot to both of them in order to fight for a quarterfinal spot. Yesterday both Finland and USA had a day off, however on Friday both managed to celebrate victory in tough battles. While Finland managed to edge Swiss 3:2, USA won Kazakhstan 4:3. With seven points in the five games played the leading scorer of Team USA is defenseman Seth Jones, while the leading scorer of Finland, Petri Kontiola, has managed to amass six points.
		Welcome. Game starts at 15:45.

Commentary by

Didzis Rudmanis

Goals & lineups Match log

Goals and assists: 1. Nelson (Jones), 47. Johnson (Smith), 60. Johnson – 57. Mantyla (Kontiola, Hietanen)

USA: Thomas (Leggio) – Nelson, Johnson, Smith, DeKeyser, Jones – Gaudreau, Stapleton, Wingels, Gardiner, Murphy – Mueller, Trocheck, J.Hayes, McCabe, Petry – K.Hayes, Shore, McDonald, Donovan – Miele

Finland: Rinne (Koskinen) – Lehtera, Kontiola, Palola, Mantyla, Hietanen – Haula, Jokinen, Komarov, Ohtamaa, Karalahti – Savinainen, Immonen, Pakarinen, Kivisto, Marttinen – Salomaki, T.Sallinen, J.Sallinen, Lajunen – Huhtala

Referees: Bruggeman, Bulanov – Hull, Valach

1st period
	00:19
	09:32
	12:42
	13:47
1st intermission
2nd period
	20:38
	31:40
	33:45
2nd intermission
3rd period
	46:42
	47:06
	53:11
	56:46
	59:14
Final