Finland upsets Canada to win gold at World Championship for 3rd time
Finland upset Canada on Sunday to take gold at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, winning 3-1.
It's the third time the Finns have won the event, and their first victory since 2011. The resilient group faced a major uphill battle during the tournament, going head to head with powerhouses Sweden, Russia, and Canada in the medal round.
Defenseman Henri Jokiharju and forward Juho Lammikko were the only Finnish players with NHL experience, suiting up for the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers, respectively in the 2018-19 NHL season.
Canada started strong in Sunday's game, with blue-liner Shea Theodore opening the scoring midway through the first period. Marko Anttila then tied it up for Finland in the middle frame. He didn't record a point during the preliminary stage of the tournament, but the Finnish captain bagged a goal in each of his country's elimination games.
Anttila added another goal in the third to put Finland up by one, and Harri Pesonen netted the dagger with five minutes remaining after goaltender Kevin Lankinen weathered Team Canada's furious push.
Next year's tournament takes place in Zurich and Lausanne, Switzerland.