The Czechs staged a comeback in the bronze medal game at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, defeating Finland 8-5 with several late goals in Gothenburg on Friday.
Canada's quarterfinal scorers scored six goals in a row starting midway through the game, with the final four coming within 50 seconds of the third period.
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Compared to the Maple Leaf, the Czechs put their opponents to sleep in the final minutes and secured a 5-5 draw with 1:56 left. Tomas Hamara's winning goal quickly followed after a face-off was won in opposing territory. Finland then, like their opponents a few moments before, withdrew their goalkeeper, but to no avail.
Ondrej Becher scored a hat trick in an empty net and finished the game with five points. Buffalo Sabers prospect Jiri Kulich also did well with four points.
The Czech Republic's celebration began with time remaining, but a breaststroke resulted in the referee blowing his whistle with one second left. The players were sent to the dungeon, then the puck was finally dropped to be formed.
This is the second year in a row that Finland has been excluded from the podium. In 2023, Sweden ended their adventure in the quarterfinals.