Jarome Iginla crashed out of a slump with two goals as red-hot favorites Canada powered past Slovakia 5-0 on Wednesday to reach the semifinals of the World Cup of Hockey.
The Calgary Flames sniper hit top form and combined with feared All-Star linemates Joe Sakic and Mario Lemieux for eight points, and would have had a hattrick had a first period strike not been waved off for goalie interference.
PHOTO: AFP
The Canadians now go for revenge in a semifinal clash tomorrow against Jaromir Jagr's Czech Republic, which famously ended the international playing career of Team Canada boss Wayne Gretzky at the Nagano Olympics in 1998.
The other semifinal in Minnesota yesterday pitted the US, which made a mockery of jibes over its advanced age to down a slippery Russian team in the quarterfinals, against Finland.
Iginla recorded his first World Cup goal in a torrid second period, after hitting posts and shaving the net in the first three games.
Canada captain Lemieux, camped out in the crease, put off Slovak goalie Jan Lasak, as Iginla whipped a shot off a defenseman's skate into the net at close range.
Iginla's second, with a trademark snap shot on a breakaway sealed the game for Canada in the third, after Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth had all got on the board.
Canadian goalie Martin Brodeur made 23 saves for the shut-out, while a shellshocked Lasak gave way to Slovak backup Ratislav Stana after leaking the first four goals.
Missed chances
Team Canada bosses had banked on the Iginla, Lemiuex, Sakic line finding its touch after a litany of missed chances in earlier group victories over the US, Russia and Slovakia.
Iginla, one of the National Hockey League's most prolific and streaky scorers over the last three years, was vital to Canada's Olympic triumph in 2002, scoring two goals in the gold medal game against the US.
None of the players in the tournament lack for motivation: The World Cup Final in Toronto next Tuesday takes place hours before an expected lock out of NHL players by team owners over a labor dispute.
Many observers expect the entire 2004-2005 season to be lost.
But Canada and the Czechs have perhaps an extra incentive to win. Canada, led by evergreen Lemieux in surely his last international tournament, want to lift the Cup on home ice, in a nation where hockey is religion.
The Czechs are dedicating their tournament to late coach Ivan Hlinka, a mentor to a generation of players, who was killed in a car crash last month.
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