Lions begin World Championships with comprehensive win over Norway

Goalie Pekka Rinne enjoys 5-0 shutout on début

Jukka Jalonen

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One down, eight (maybe) to go...
      Finland's hockey players began their campaign at this year's IIHF World Championships in Switzerland with a straightforward 5-0 victory over Norway in the Eishalle Schluefweg in Kloten.
      The result was never in any doubt, as the Lions raced into a 3-0 lead in the first period courtesy of a trio of powerplay goals from Antti Miettinen, Jarkko Immonen, and Niko Kapanen.
      Mika Pyörölä added a fourth in the second period, and a Mikko Lehtonen goal, also on the powerplay, wrapped things up early in the final period.
     
The performance will have come as something of a relief to coach Jukka Jalonen, who was leading the side in his first match in a major tournament, and who was assistant to the then head coach Doug Shedden when Norway pushed Finland to overtime at the Worlds a year ago, before the Finns won through 3-2.
      The match was also a first for goalie Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators, making his début in the national side after a successful rookie season in the NHL, where he enjoyed seven shutouts.
      It is perhaps hard to understand why a goaltender should be singled out in an apparently routine 5-0 victory, but Rinne had to make 30 saves during the match as the Norwegians desperately sought to get back on terms, and a good many of them were of the sort that had the crowd gasping and cheering.
      Rinne will nevertheless make way for Karri Rämö in today's match against Denmark, as Jalonen rotates his goalies in good time to see if he can find a #1 man between the posts for the important later matches in the tournament.
     
It is of course very early days yet, but the Finns want to be in this for the long haul.
      In order to get into the medals matches the team will have to continue in the same vein for at least six more games: there are two remaining Preliminary Round matches, against Denmark and the Czech Republic, followed by three in the Qualification Round and a quarter-final.
     
Hosts Switzerland became the first team to qualify for the next stage on Sunday after they beat Germany 3-2 in overtime.
      They were later joined by Canada (9-0 winners over Hungary), Slovakia (who progress despite losing 2-1 in overtime to Belarus, thanks to Hungary's defeat in the evening game), and by Russia, who swept past France 7-2.
      Finland-Denmark is the later game in Group D tonight, and will be screened on TV2 from 21:00. The Danes went down 5-0 to the Czech Republic in their first outing in Kloten.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Ice Hockey World Championships interrupt the arrival of summer sports (23.4.2009)

Links:
  Pekka Rinne on the Nashville Predators site
  Finland Men´s National Ice Hockey Team (Wikipedia)
  IIHF World Championships official site
  2009 IIHF World Championships (Wikipedia)

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