Canada beat Czechs to reach ice hockey world final

Olympic champions Canada reached the final of the ice hockey world championship after beating the Czech Republic 2-0 in Prague on Saturday with goals by Taylor Hall and Jason Spezza.

In Sunday's finals, Canada, who have won all nine games at the tournament, will face either the USA or Russia, who are playing their semi-final later on Saturday.

Olympic winners from 2010 and 2014, Canada have secured their first medal from the world championship since 2009 while their last title dates from 2007.

The Czechs put Canada under pressure in the opening minutes but the star-packed Canadian team then gained the upper hand to dominate the game, outshooting the home team 41-23.

Edmonton wing Hall hit the crossbar on six minutes and opened the scoring three minutes later when fellow Edmonton forward Jordan Eberle broke away and found Hall in front of a gaping Czech goal.

Dallas wing Spezza made it 2-0 on 30 minutes with a low wrist shot from the faceoff circle that took Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec by surprise.

The Czechs apparently scored before the second intermission but the referees disappointed the 17,000 fans packed into the arena as they disallowed the goal for crease violation -- a verdict that TV footage proved wrong.
Source: AFP