Finns beat Germany 3-0; ensure home advantage in Hockey World Cup quarter-finals

Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff has gone 120 minutes without conceding a goal

Miikka Kiprusoff

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Some excellent goaltending and an effective powerplay performance - that was the Finnish recipe for a relatively routine win over Germany in the second game of the World Cup of Hockey, played last night in Cologne.
      Goals from Kimmo Timonen and Teemu Selänne, both on the powerplay, and a third from Jere Lehtinen five minutes from time in the third period did the damage, and at the other end of the ice Miikka Kiprusoff provided an impassable obstacle to all the German attempts on goal.
     
If the result itself was relatively predictable, what was less anticipated was that the German squad gave the Finnish defence a hard time, particularly in the second period, and Kiprusoff's services were much in demand. He has now gone 120 minutes without conceding a goal, following the 4-0 opening win over the Czech Republic. In that earlier game Kiprusoff had to make only 12 saves, but this time the number was nearly doubled.
      After Timonen's score in the 10th minute, one might have expected the Finns to run riot, but they contented themselves with playing at the pace of the Germans, and this nearly undid them. It was only a 5-on-3 situation midway through the second period that allowed some relief, as Selänne swept the puck into the top corner.
      Then the roles were abruptly reversed and the Finns found themselves two men short for nearly two minutes, but they held on, again largely thanks to some big saves from Kiprusoff, who has fully lived up to the reputation he gained in the NHL's Stanley Cup play-offs last season. .
      The third period was something of an anti-climax, as the German confidence was shattered and the Finns moved into cruise control.
     
With two wins recorded, the Finnish Lions have guaranteed themselves home advantage for the European quarter-final match. Who wins the group of four teams will be decided on Saturday, when Finland meet Sweden in Helsinki. The Swedes also have a perfect record from their two opening matches, but a goal difference of 9-5 against Finland's 7-0.
      The group winners will play the fourth-placed team and the runners-up will meet the third-placed team, and the two quarter-final winners will progress to the semi-finals, to be played in North America.
      On the other side of the water, things became a little more interesting as Russia beat the United States 3-1 last night. The USA had already lost 2-1 to Canada in their opening match and are thus pointless going into their final game against Slovakia. Canada beat Slovakia by a comfortable 5-1 margin and are heading the group.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish Lions get World Cup of Hockey campaign off to blistering start (31.8.2004)

Links:
  World Cup of Hockey

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