Ilya Kovalchuk scored one goal and set up another and Russia defeated Italy 3-0 at the ice hockey world championship on Friday.
Kovalchuk put Russia on the scoreboard at 14:17 of the second period when he swatted a loose puck past Italy goaltender Jason Muzzati.
"We had a lot of scoring chances but you have to give credit to their goalie, he played a great game," Russia defender Sergei Gonchar said. "We stuck to our system even though the scoring wasn't there."
PHOTO: EPA
Earlier, Shane Doan scored three goals in the second period to lead Canada to a 6-3 win over Belarus.
Kovalchuk set up Alexander Frolov for Russia's second goal with about six minutes remaining to give the host a 2-0 lead.
Alexei Morozov later scored a power-play goal with four seconds left in the third.
Russia, which improved to 4-0, had outscored its opponents 25-6 in three previous games. It plays Switzerland today.
Doan first scored for Canada early in the second period, taking a pass from Rick Nash on a 2-on-1 and shooting the puck past Belarus goaltender Stephan Goryachevskikh for a short-handed goal.
Doan gave Canada a 2-1 lead at 5:15 of the second when Jonathan Toews' shot bounced off Goryachevskikh and went to Doan, who scored into an open net on a power play.
Toews scored again three minutes later and Doan completed his hat trick at 9:13 when he took a pass from Matthew Lombardi from behind the net and beat Goryachevskikh through the pads from in close.
"This was a game that we needed to win," Doan said. "I just try to come out here and compete and win and that's what you focus on. All the other stuff is beyond my control."
Doan has been the focus of attention off the ice after his appointment as captain of Canada's team became an issue in the nation's parliament.
Canadian ice hockey officials agreed to appear before a parliamentary committee in Ottawa to explain why Doan was chosen as captain after it was alleged he used an ethnic slur against a French-Canadian referee during a 2005 NHL game.
"As a Canadian you come over here wanting to represent everyone in Canada and when something like this happens it's a little overwhelming," Doan said.
Lombardi, who added a goal in the third for Canada, said Doan inspired the team.
"That first goal set the tone for us," Lombardi said. "Being the leader Shane is he just steps up in a lot of different ways and tonight he did it on the scoreboard."
Canada remained undefeated with a 4-0 record while Belarus dropped to 1-3. The Canadians next face the Czech Republic.
In Mytischi, Morten Ask scored the winning goal 2:22 into overtime to lift Norway over Austria 3-2 in the relegation round. Oleg Sorokins had two goals and an assist to help Latvia blank Ukraine 5-0 in the late relegation round match, and notch its first win in Moscow.
The four teams in the relegation stage play a round robin, with the top two remaining among world hockey's elite next year and the bottom pair dropping down.
After a scoreless opening period, Robert Lukas scored first for Austria at 9:19 in the second period before Jonas Andersen and Anders Bastiansen put Norway ahead within five minutes of each other. Austria's Daniel Welser leveled in the third period, forcing overtime. All but the overtime goal came on the power play.
France’s Kevin Aymoz snatched the men’s title at Skate America on Saturday, winning his first grand prix title with a battling free skate, while short program leader Kazuki Tomono faltered. It was an emotional triumph for Aymoz, who made his grand prix level debut in 2017, with seven prior podium finishes, but no gold. He had struggled with a painful foot injury since a disappointing 10th-place finish at Skate Canada last month. “It was so difficult,” the 28-year-old said. “After Skate Canada I wanted to give up so much and today I’m here and it’s so beautiful to be with my friends competing
Nigeria’s soccer coach has accused the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) of practicing “voodoo” after his squad’s hopes of qualifying for next year’s FIFA World Cup ended in a penalty shoot-out loss in the African playoff final. DR Congo and Nigeria drew 1-1 after extra-time in the tie in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday and the central Africans won 4-3 on penalties to book a place in inter-confederation playoffs in Mexico in March next year. In his post-match remarks to journalists, coach Eric Chelle said a member of the DR Congo team “did some voodoo, every time, every time, every time.” “That
A start-up’s entry into prediction market trading is raising fresh questions about the involvement of NBA owners in sports betting. The start-up, Mojo Interactive Inc, was cofounded by Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, the owners of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Lynx. Mojo has started trading on the outcome of sports games on the prediction market exchange Kalshi, an arrangement that is now being reviewed by the NBA. Mojo began trading event contracts tied to sports during the NFL season this fall, according to Mojo CEO Vinit Bharara. Mojo has yet to trade on any NBA games, Bharara said in
Australian cyclist Paige Greco, a Paralympic gold medalist, has died. She was 28. A joint statement by the Australian Paralympic Committee and Cycling Australia said that Greco “passed away in her Adelaide home after experiencing a sudden medical episode” on Sunday. “Paige meant everything to us,” her mother Natalie Greco said. “Her kindness, her determination and her warmth touched our family every single day. She brought so much joy and pride into our lives, and the pain of her passing is something we will carry forever, “ Natalie Greco said. “While we are devastated by her loss, we are incredibly proud of the person she
RSS