Mika Zibanejad Golden Goal For Sweden - WJHC Final 2012

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CALGARY -- Mika Zibanejad scored at 10:09 of overtime to lead Sweden to a 1-0 win over Russia in the championship final of the world junior men's hockey championship on Thursday.

Zibanejad stole the puck from Russian forward Nikita Gusev before breaking into the Russian zone and roofing a backhand shot over the blocker of Russian goaltender Andrei Makarov, who finished the game with 57 saves.

The win gave Sweden only its second gold medal at the event and the country's first since 1981. It was the first time the two European nations had met in the world junior gold medal game since the tournament adopted a playoff format in 1996.

Johan Gustafsson made 17 saves in Sweden's net for the shutout.

Sweden dominated the first two periods of the game, outshooting the Russians 17-3 in the first period and 22-1 in the second. Despite the lopsided advantage, the Swedes couldn't figure out a way to solve Makarov.

Russian coach Valeri Bragin decided to go with Makarov in net instead of Andrei Vasilevski, who stopped 44-of-49 shots he faced before being pulled in Russia's 6-5 semifinal win over Canada on Tuesday.

In Makarov's only other start of the tournament, he made 31 saves to lead Russia to a 3-1 preliminary-round win over Slovakia. The 18-year-old netminder, who plays for the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League, then turned aside all seven shots he faced in a relief appearance to preserve Russia's 6-5 semifinal win over Canada.

Every time Russian captain Yevgeni Kuznetsov touched the puck throughout the game, he drew a chorus of boos from the decidedly pro-Swedish crowd. Kuznetsov had a hat trick and an assist in Russia's win over Canada.

Kuznetsov was tournament MVP and made the event's all-star team at forward along with Sweden's Max Friberg as well as Finland's Mikael Granlund. Czech goalie Petr Mrazek also made the all-star team along with Canada's Brandon Gormley and Sweden's Oscar Klefbom on defence.

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[MrGiorgioSweden]

Just have to say how proud I am to be Swedish in moments like this.

Sweden is a country with ONLY 9 million people and still we can win a WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP against nations with over 100 million people!

Imagine what Sweden would do to the world if we were that many! :)

[TheBergstr]

Thanks Canadians, when WJHC comes to Sweden ill support you!!

[MrStar445]

Makarov made so many good saves but his teamates just didn't perform.

[Velcharoon]

@xSplitRyderx Took the words right out of my mind. And i'm a swede. In my eyes he deserved a gold medal for what he did. He was the only one in the russian team that seemed to be interested in trying to win the game at all. So yeah, felt really bad for him as well. But i'm sure he'll go on and become a great goalie in the big leagues in the future. Unless this totally broke his will to continue playing, but i hope not

[Abuddappaa]

@Jontish316 Eh, if you move to Canada and you change you nationality to Canadian, are you then a Canadian? I would say you are swede then. (If you are swede now, I dont know xD)

[Jontish316]

@Jontish316 Obviously it also works the other way around, with nationality not constituting an etnicity. And just to make it clear, i'm identifying Zibanejad by his nationality.

[Jontish316]

@Abuddappaa As i've already said, ETNICITY does NOT constitute a nationality, he is a swede and is identified as such. Or are you saying that Zibanejad has no etnicity? Or is he a combination? Firanian? Irannish?

[Abuddappaa]

@Jontish316 Because he grow up in Sweden? And he have Swedish nationality, but that doesn't make him a swede

[Jontish316]

@Abuddappaa Oh okay. If he's so much a finn and a iranian, why is he playing for the swedish national team?

[Abuddappaa]

@Jontish316 Half a Finnish and half a Iran, for real. I don't say that Barkov is Finnish because his mom and dad are Russians.

[Jontish316]

@Abuddappaa So what is he then, if not swedish? His father is from Iran, and his mother is from Finland, he was born in stockholm and his nationality is swedish.

[Abuddappaa]

@Jontish316 Well, he isn't actually Swedish, he just grow up in Sweden. Same as Sasha Barkov in Finland, he is actually Russian but Finnish nationality