The Swiss ice hockey champions, who had enjoyed a winning streak at their home World Championship, ultimately fell short in a dramatic overtime final.
After nine victories in Zurich, their dream of securing their first World Championship title was dashed in the final, losing 0-1 (0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-1) in overtime to Finland’s resolute defense. The team, featuring NHL star Roman Josi, not only suffered their first tournament loss but also their third consecutive World Championship final defeat, mirroring last year’s outcome against the USA after a scoreless regulation time.
Konsta Helenius (71st minute) scored the decisive goal for the Finns, who clinched their fifth World Championship gold. Under their new head coach Jan Cadieux, the Swiss were unable to complete the success story that began under Patrick Fischer, who was dismissed due to a scandal involving a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate. In the flawless preliminary round, the hosts had previously defeated the Olympic bronze medalists 4-2.
The first significant scoring chance of the match, officiated by DEL referee André Schrader alongside Sweden’s Tobias Björk, came from the aggressively starting Finns: defenseman Olli Määttä was denied by goaltender Leonardo Genoni (4th minute). It wasn’t until their first power play that the Swiss, with Timo Meier, posed a real threat to the Finnish goal (11th minute). Initially, the Finns celebrated a goal, but prematurely: Anton Lundell flicked the puck into the net from mid-air, but Schrader and his team, after video review, ruled it a high stick (14th minute).
The hosts began the second period with a two-man advantage, thanks to a contentious refereeing decision. However, Josi and his teammates could not generate a high-quality chance during their double power play. The strong Finnish defense allowed very little. It was only towards the end of the middle period that the Swiss found their rhythm, with Pius Suter missing their best opportunity (36th minute).
Matchwinner Steen: ‘I’m speechless’
In the third period, Josi had a golden opportunity to win the game, but goaltender Justus Annunen cleared the puck off the line (53rd minute). The overtime period ultimately decided the outcome.
Earlier, Norway had sensationally secured their first World Championship medal. The team, led by the outstanding DEL goaltender Henrik Haukeland, defeated record world champion Canada, featuring superstar Sidney Crosby, 3-2 in overtime in the bronze medal game.
«I don’t even know what I should be feeling. I’m speechless,» said the overtime goal scorer Noah Steen. Former DEL forward Andreas Martinsen added, «If someone had told us our last game would be for bronze and go into overtime, we would have taken it.»
In the semi-finals, Norway had been outmatched in a 0-6 loss to Switzerland. For the Canadian NHL All-Star team, which boasted the most nominal stars, the disappointment was palpable after their 2-4 defeat to Finland – they are now returning home without a medal from a World Championship for the third consecutive time.