The Czech Republic shuts out Switzerland 2-0 and wins the Hockey World Cup – WWLP

PRAGUE (AP) David Pastrnak and David Kampf scored as the Czech Republic shutout Switzerland 2-0 to win the Ice Hockey World Cup on Sunday.

Boston Bruins forward Pastrnak broke the deadlock with 10:47 left in the final period, causing the sold-out Prague Arena to erupt in wild celebration.

Pastrnak fired a one-time shot from his usual spot in the left circle past goaltender Leonardo Genoni after being fed by defenseman Tomas Kundratek from the blue line.

“I am proud and certainly happy,” Pastrnak said. I'm glad we made it. We have waited so long for the gold medal. It couldn't have come at a better time than at home, for us and the fans in the stands who created an incredible atmosphere.

Pastrnak scored his first goal of the tournament and Kampf added the second into an empty net with 19 seconds left when the Swiss pulled Genoni for an extra attacker.

Czech goalkeeper Lukas Dostal stopped 31 shots for the shutout.

It's an unreal feeling, I'm speechless, it's unbelievable, I'm proud of all of us,” said Dostal, who also sidelined the United States with a 1-0 victory in the quarter-finals.

Of course it's my job. I don't care how we win, the most important thing is the win. It's playoff hockey and the details determine it. Today the detail was that Pasta (Pastrnak) scored, that was the decisive moment, according to the Anaheim Ducks goalkeeper.

It was the seventh title won by the Czech Republic or Czech Republic after the country was founded in 1993 following the breakup of Czechoslovakia and the first since 2010.

Czechoslovakia won six titles.

The final was only the fourth game of the tournament for Pastrnak and his teammate Pavel Zacha, who joined the team after the Bruins were eliminated from the NHL playoffs.

Genoni made 30 saves.

Switzerland has not yet won the title and came second for the fourth time. The previous three came in 1935, 2013 and 2018. In 2018 they came close, losing 3-2 to Sweden in a shootout.

Silver is silver and gold is gold, and we didn't get gold, so it always hurts, said 40-year-old Swiss forward Andres Ambuhl.

In the preliminary stages, Switzerland defeated the Czechs 2-1 in a shootout and finished second in Group A behind Canada and one point ahead of the Czechs.

Supported by the home crowd, the Czechs went on the attack, beating the Swiss 23-17 in the first two periods, but only hitting the post (Dominik Kubalik) and the crossbar (Kampf) in the second period.

SWEDEN RECEIVES BRONZE

Carl Grundstrom scored twice to lift Sweden to a 4-2 victory over Canada and a bronze medal.

Grundstrom scored his second goal with 6:18 left in the final period with a shot from the left boards to give Sweden a 3–2 lead.

Star defender Erik Karlsson also scored, while Marcus Johansson added an empty net goal. Goalkeeper Filip Gustavsson made twenty saves.

It is the first podium for Sweden since winning the second of its consecutive titles in 2018, when it defeated Switzerland in the final.

I am proud of the way we recovered from yesterday (loss to the Czech Republic), said Sweden's Victor Hedman, another star defender. It's a quick turnaround playing five games in seven days, he said. If you lose one out of ten games you're usually in pretty good shape, but we lost the wrong one.

Canada last played a bronze medal match in 2018, losing 4-1 to the United States. Since then, the Canadians have won the trophy twice and finished second twice, with the 2020 edition canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tournament top scorer Dylan Cozens scored his ninth goal and Pierre-Luc Dubois added another for Canada, the 28-time champions, who finished empty-handed.

Canada fell short of its goal of taking home the gold, but Captain John Tavares said he had no regrets.

It was very special for me to have this opportunity to be captain and come and represent Canada, something I did not take lightly and really wanted to make the most of it, said Tavares.

The boys fought hard, but we just didn't perform well enough to get the job done.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports