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Norway qualifies for 2010 Games

Hungary’s Andras Horvath, left, vies with Kostiantyn Simchuk of Ukraine during their Olympic qualification match in Riga, Latvia, on Sunday. Ukraine won 4-3. PHOTO: AFP

Germany beat Slovenia 2-1 Sunday to win its ice hockey Olympic qualifying tournament, while Norway twice came from behind to defeat Denmark 5-3 and book its place at the Vancouver Games next year.

The Germans, already assured of qualifying before the final game, finished the four-nation tournament with a 3-0 record.

Austria beat Japan 5-2 in the other game in Hannover and finished 2-1. Japan was 1-2 and Slovenia 0-3.

Only the winning team qualified for the 12-team tournament at the Games.

Germany will play Sweden, Finland and Belarus in Group C next year.

NORWAY RALLIES

In Oslo, Patrick Thoresen scored three goals as the host team Norway rallied to beat Scandinavian rival Denmark at the Jordal Amfi Arena, site of the 1952 Olympic hockey tournament.

Thoresen notched his second straight goal in the game late in the second period to give Norway a 3-2 edge and its first lead.

He completed his hat-trick with less than two minutes left of the game.

Norway is one of the top Winter Olympic nations in history, but has not qualified for an Olympic hockey tournament since hosting the 1994 Winter Games at Lillehammer, when former NHL MVP Peter Forsberg helped Sweden beat Canada in the gold-medal game after a shootout.

GROUPS A AND B

Norway will face Canada, the US and Switzerland in Group A.

Group B will feature Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Latvia.
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