🇫🇮 Finland 2-1 Russia 🇷🇺 (OT)
World Junior Championship Gold Medal Game
Hartwall Areena, Helsinki 🇫🇮
Saturday, 03 January 1998

Finland achieved its first World Junior Championship Gold in 1987, but at that time the rankings were decided by playing in series.

The playoffs only entered the World Junior Championship program for the 1995-96 Games, and what would be more comfortable than to settle World Cup Gold at home in extra time of the final?

At the 1997-1998 home games, Finland thrashed Canada, Germany and Sweden to catch a point from the Young Lions in the early stages.

In the semifinals, Finland crushed Kazakhstan 14-1 and Switzerland went down 2-1 in the semifinals. In the final, Russia skated against the opening goal of the match, which also hit the opening goal of the match. Pasi Puistola leveled the game at the start of the final set, and the match went to overtime in a 1-1 situation.

In overtime, Finland’s hero was Niklas Hagman, who scored a 2-1 winning goal. A party at Hartwall Areena, less than a year old, was ready to start.

Hagman’s chain mates Olli Jokinen and Eero Somervuori were selected for the All Stars field, and Jokinen, who assisted the winning goal of the final match, was selected as the best striker of the World Cup. The scorers title went to Jeff Farkas of the United States.

The Finnish team was surprisingly tough and promising afterwards. In addition to lead stars Jokinen and Hagman, Niko Kapanen and Toni Dahlman also played in the NHL, and both goaltenders Mika Noronen and Niklas Bäckström also played in the NHL.

Niko Kapanen and Pasi Puistola won the Men’s World Championship in 2011, and like them almost all of the Young Lions Gold medalists played extensive careers in top European leagues. Like Kapanen and Puistola, many others continue their careers.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
11:51 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Shvidki
16:58 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Lyashenko

2nd Period
20:46 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Krovopuskov
25:58 – 🇫🇮 PEN – Petriläinen
37:10 – 🇷🇺 GOAL – Vlasenkov (Donika)

3rd Period
41:38 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Afinogenov
43:25 – 🇫🇮 PP GOAL – Puistola (Petriläinen, Kapanen)
52:04 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Chernov
56:02 – 🇫🇮 PEN – Puistola

Overtime
67:17 – 🇫🇮 PEN – Somervuori
73:41 – 🇫🇮 GOAL – Hagman (Jokinen, Somervuori)

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇫🇮 Noronen (25-26)
L: 🇷🇺 Khlopotnov (41-43)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇫🇮 14+11+11+7 = 43
🇷🇺 7+9+6+4 = 26

ROSTERS
🇫🇮 Goaltenders: Niklas Bäckström, Mika Noronen. Defence: Timo Ahmaoja, Marko Kauppinen, Tomi Källarsson, Ilkka Mikkola, Pasi Petriläinen, Pasi Puistola, Ari Vallin. Forwards: Olli Ahonen, Johannes Alanen, Toni Dahlman, Teemu Elomo, Niklas Hagman, Olli Jokinen, Kari Kalto, Niko Kapanen, Jyrki Louhi, Timo Seikkula, Eero Somervuori, Tomek Valtonen, Timo Vertala.
🇷🇺 Goaltenders: Denis Khlopotnov, Dmitri Mylnikov. Defence: Mikhail Chernov, Mikhail Donika, Andrei Kruchinin, Andrei Markov, Valeri Pokrovski, Alexei Tezikov, Vitali Vishnevski. Forwards: Maxim Afinogenov, Vladimir Antipov, Denis Arkhipov, Maxim Balmochnykh, Artyom Chubarov, Alexei Krovopuskov, Oleg Kvasha, Roman Lyashenko, Yegor Mikhailov, Sergei Shikhanov, Denis Shvidki, Andrei Sidyakin, Dmitri Vlasenkov.

Article Credit: Leijonat
Photo Credit: MTV Uutiset – HHOF – IOC