2010 WC: Czech Republic gets the Gold

2010 WC: Czech Republic gets the Gold (Photo © REUTERS/Grigory Dukor)

Team Czech Republic won the Gold Medal in the 2010 WC Finals. The Czechs prevailed 2-1 after an early goal by Jakub Klepis assisted by Jaromir Jagr and a marker from Tomas Rolinek late in the second period. Pavel Datsyuk cut down the Czech advantage with a third period goal, but Bykov’s team didn’t manage to revert the score. Surely this wasn’t the best season for Team Russia.

Ovechkin and other Russian players didn’t manage to tie it up despite a couple of powerplay chances in the second half of the first period as Tomas Vokoun played solidly between the pipes. Pavel Datsyuk managed to put the puck in the back of the net during a last second rush, but the clock hit the zero before the puck went in.

During the second period Team Russia pushed the gas trying to tie it up, but without much luck. At the eighteenth minute Ovechkin and Fedorov collided deep in the zone, Karel Rachunek got the puck and brought it up, then centering for the rushing Tomas Rolinek, who deflected the puck in with the skates, but the refs ruled the goal valid.

In the final stanza the Czechs controlled the game and kept playing a slow tempo hockey. Team Russia looked tired and couldn’t build good offensive rushes until a late goal by Pavel Datsyuk with the man advantage and Varlamov sitting on the bench. Bykov’s team kept on pushing, but the clock ran out, gifting Czech Republic a well deserved win.

Semyon Varlamov had a good game between the pipes, with 23 players. But his good performance and a roster with 13 Olympians wasn’t enough to get past a well organized Team Czech Republic.