Ice hockey: Slovakia ousts reigning champion Sweden

Vancouver (AFP) - Defending Olympic men's hockey champion Sweden was eliminated from the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games on Wednesday, losing 4-3 to Slovakia in a quarter-final game.

After an undefeated run through the preliminary round to claim a bye into the final eight, the Swedes were stunned by a Slovakian squad that advanced to a Friday semi-final game with host Canada, who put out Russia, to decide a berth in Sunday's final.

Swedish goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who had not allowed a goal in the Olympics after preliminary-round blankings of Finland and Belarus, surrendered four on only 14 Slovakian shots.

The 1994 and 1998 Soviet Union teams were the last to claim back-to-back Olympic men's hockey gold medals, although the same talent pool also won as the Unified Team in 1992.

Slovakia took a 3-2 lead with 48 seconds remaining in the second period when Pavol Demitra blasted a shot past Lundqvist into the far corner of the goal.

Slovak defender Michal Handzus blocked Lundqvist's view of Demitra on the play until the shot was already past him.

Tomas Kopecky tapped in a rebound to put Slovakia ahead 4-2 with 10:59 remaining but just 38 seconds later, Daniel Alfredsson answered for Sweden, which pressed to the finish could not net the equalizer.

Marian Gaborik, who shares fourth place among this season's National Hockey League goal scorers with 35, and Andrej Sekera scored 37 seconds apart early in the second period to give Slovakia a 2-0 lead.

Gaborik became the first player in the Olympics to put the puck past his NHL New York Rangers teammate, aided by a screening move from Handzus just 7:34 into the period.

The Swedes answered with two goals of their own that were 37 seconds apart.

Patric Hornqvist banked the puck past Jaroslav Halak at 13:49 and Henrik Zetterberg followed when his backhand centering pass deflected into the goal off Slovak defender Milan Jurcina.

Slovakia played without forward Lubos Bartecko, still recovering from a concussion suffered in Tuesday's 4-3 first-round playoff victory over Norway.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Ice
• hockey
• Slovakia
• ousts
• reigning
• champion
• Sweden
• sweden
• eliminated

[sylvietta29]

Congrat to all Slovakia you deserve it. Good work!

[nauriskify]

Big respect to Slovaks. I'm from Latvia, but my second favourite is Slovakian hockey team. all the best, hope you'll get at least bronze.

[pwnedeful]

@Mablungx your welcome

[Mablungx]

@pwnedeful I take it as a compliment,Latvia is one of my favorite teams I'm slovak,but I think you underrate us when you say "teams like Slovakia,Latvia,Belarus" I think slovaks play ice hockey on a higher level at least like czechs.

And thanks for a beautiful game in the semifinals! That was a best game of the competition so far

[Mablungx]

@nauriskify Thank you! and you did a great job against czech republic.I was keeping my fingers crossed for you,you almost had them.See you in 2011 WC in Slovakia!

[skifi1]

Slovenskooooooo :)))

[pwnedeful]

man i think these teams like slovakia latvia and belarus should get bronze or at least to the medal round im canadian but i dont like my national hockey team much their too cocky with this bullshit with own the podium thing i just any team to beat the crap out of these teams

[julresa]

did you even watch the game? :P

[scholion]

As a Swede, I wish to congratulate Slovakia.

Your deserved that victory because you were the better team.

Best of regards from another ice hockey nation!

[slovakia2010]

Porazi ma, som sklamany zo 4. miesta :,(

[shena204]

Thank you, sylvietta :)