Norway stuns Canada in overtime to win historic first ice hockey world championship bronze
Norway secured its first-ever medal at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship with a sensational 3-2 overtime victory against record title-holder Canada in Zurich on Sunday.
Norway achieved a historic milestone at the ice hockey world championship in Zurich, stunning Canada 3-2 in overtime to claim its first medal in tournament history. The bronze-medal game saw the Norwegians, who had been routed 6-0 by host Switzerland in the semi-final, dig deep to overcome a star-studded Canadian lineup featuring Sidney Crosby and Macklin Celebrini.
The game's decisive moments
Norway took control early, with Emilio Pettersen opening the scoring in the 7th minute after capitalizing on a mistake by Canadian goaltender Jet Greaves behind his own net. Stian Solberg doubled the lead in the 33rd minute with a deflected shot. Canada, facing a 2-0 deficit, pulled Greaves for an extra attacker late in the third period. Robert Thomas scored with 76 seconds remaining, then tied the game with just seven seconds left on the clock, forcing overtime.
An incredible and historic day - with a winning goal in sudden death... We celebrate, (this is) a new era for Norwegian ice hockey.
Overtime heroics
In the 3-on-3 extra period, both teams created chances before Noah Steen delivered the decisive blow at 3:32. The 21-year-old forward scored on a 2-on-1 rush, beating Greaves to spark jubilant celebrations among the Norwegian fans. Steen's goal marked his seventh of the tournament.
Goaltending excellence
Norwegian netminder Henrik Haukeland was instrumental in the victory, stopping 44 shots against Canada's relentless attack. The 31-year-old, who plays for the Straubing Tigers in the German DEL, had already recorded three shutouts during the tournament. His performance frustrated a Canadian offense that included several established NHL stars.
The success of the outplayed Norwegians was somewhat fortunate, but in the end not undeserved, because they wanted the victory more than the Canadians with their superstars Sidney Crosby and Macklin Celebrini.
A new benchmark for Norwegian hockey
Before this tournament, Norway's best result was a fourth-place finish in 1951, when only seven teams participated. The country, which has fewer than 15,000 registered players compared to Canada's over 600,000, had already impressed by defeating Czechia and Sweden earlier in the championship. Canada, meanwhile, has now failed to medal for the third consecutive year and has lost its last six bronze-medal games since 1995.
- Emilio Pettersen scores after a goaltending error by Jet Greaves, giving Norway a 1-0 lead.
- Stian Solberg deflects a shot to double Norway's lead to 2-0.
- Canada pulls goalie Jet Greaves for an extra attacker while trailing 2-0.
- Robert Thomas scores to cut the deficit to 2-1 with 76 seconds left.
- Thomas scores again with 7 seconds remaining to tie the game 2-2 and force overtime.
- Noah Steen scores the game-winner 3:32 into overtime, securing Norway's first world championship medal.
Looking ahead
The bronze-medal game was a prelude to the championship final later Sunday evening, where host nation Switzerland was set to face Finland. Canada's tournament ended in disappointment despite a lineup that included teenage captain Celebrini and veteran stars, having fallen 4-2 to Finland in the semi-finals.
