In a thrilling semifinal that had hockey fans glued to their screens, Finland delivered a statement performance by topping powerhouse Canada 4-2 and punching their ticket to the gold-medal game against host Switzerland. The Leijonat jumped out to an early lead on Patrik Puistola’s snipe, weathered a Canadian push that saw Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway flip the score in their favor, then exploded for three unanswered goals in the second period—sparked by Aleksander Barkov’s gritty finish, Konsta Helenius’ controversial-but-confirmed breakaway, and Aatu Raty’s insurance marker in a goalmouth scramble. Justus Annunen stood tall with key saves while Canada’s high-end talent couldn’t sustain pressure against Finland’s disciplined structure and transition game. Social media lit up with a mix of stunned Canadian disbelief, glowing praise for Barkov and the Finns’ resilience, and pure elation from European fans who saw it as sweet payback for past tournaments—setting up what promises to be an electric final on Sunday, one which Canada won’t be a part of yet again🙄.
2019 Carolina Hurricanes 3rd rounder Patrik Puistola got Finland on the board first at 3:30 of the first period. The assist on the goal went to Konsta Helenius, who averaged a point a game last season with the Rochester Americans of the AHL.–Patrik Puistola scored the first goal of the game early in the first period at 3:30. He capitalized on a turnover at the defensive blue line, carried the puck in on a rush, used a defender as a screen, and fired a hard wrister high over the goaltender’s glove into the top corner for a 1-0 lead.
Robert Thomas tied the game up for Canada at 8:17 of the first period. The assists on the goal went to Dylan Holloway and Denton Mateychuk.–Robert Thomas scored his goal midway through the first period at 8:17. He showed great hand-eye coordination by batting a puck out of the air after a Finland turnover led to Denton Mateychuk’s shot that deflected off Dylan Holloway’s chest/shoulder right in front, allowing Thomas to smack it in and tie the game at 1-1.
Dylan Holloway gives Canada a 2-1 lead at 14:26 of the first period. The assists on the goal went to Macklin Celebrini and Dylan DeMelo– Dylan Holloway scored his goal late in the first period. At the end of a long shift, Macklin Celebrini lofted a backhand flip pass to him, Holloway caught it cleanly like a wide receiver and quickly wired a high shot to the blocker side of the goaltender to give his team a 2-1 lead.
Shots on goal in the first period were 12-9 for Canada.
Finland ties the game back up when Captain Aleksander Barkov scored just 49 seconds into the second period. The assists on the goal went to a couple of Finnish Assistant Captains in Anaheim Duck Mikael Granlund and Mikko Lehtonen, who plays for the Zurich Lions in the Swiss League.–Aleksander Barkov scored his goal early in the second period at 0:49. Mikko Lehtonen fired a shot from the point that deflected off Mikael Granlund, and Barkov was right in front to slide the loose puck home from close range, tying the game at 2-2.
Konsta Helenius makes it 3-2 for Finland at 11:28 of the second period. The assists on the assists on the goal went to Mikael Granlund and Aleksander Barkov.–Mikael Granlund made a sensational pass at the Canada blue line to spring him in alone on a breakaway; Helenius made a nice deke and slid the puck between Jet Greaves’ pads. The puck appeared to come back out and play continued briefly, but video review confirmed it had fully crossed the line, giving Finland a 3-2 lead.
Vancouver Canuck Aatu Raty gives Finland a 4-2 lead with an unassisted goal at 12:50 of the second period.–Aatu Raty scored his goal late in the second period at 12:50. He dug the puck out of a goalmouth scramble in front of the net and beat Jet Greaves to the blocker side, giving Finland a 4-2 lead.
Shots in the second period were 10-3 for Finland.
Canada pulled the goalie with over 2 minutes left
Shots on goal in the third period were 14-2 for Canada. Canada outshot the Finns 29-21 in the game.
Justus Annunen stopped 27 of the 29 shots he faced for the win for the Finns. For the Canadians Jet Greaves stopped 17 of the 21 shots he faced.
Canada faces Norway for the Bronze Medal game tomorrow May 31st.
