🇸🇪 Sweden 0-0 Finland 🇫🇮
World Championship Final, Game 2
Hallenstadion, Zürich 🇨🇭
Sunday, 17 May 1998

Sweden tied Olympic Bronze medalist Finland 0-0 yesterday in the second game of a two-leg final at the World Hockey Championship to win the title and gain revenge over its arch-rival.

It was the third time in the history of the championship that the teams had met in the final, and the second time that the Swedes won. Sweden’s previous title was in 1992, when it also defeated Finland in the final.

The last time the teams played for the championship was in Stockholm in 1995, when Finland beat Sweden for the Gold, and received a fighter-plane escort home in honour of its victory.

But this year’s triumph was only a small step toward settling the score with Finland, which had knocked out Sweden in the quarter-finals of the Olympics in Nagano three months ago.

“It was good for us to beat Finland here for the title, especially because they beat us at the Olympics,” Swedish coach Kent Forsberg said. “Nagano is over now, what counts is Zürich.”

The Swedes won Saturday’s first leg 1-0, and only needed a tie in the second leg to clinch the title.

Yesterday, Finland went immediately to the attack. However, it was the powerful Swedish offence that generated the most scoring chances in the first period. Unlike the cautious, risk-free first game, the second game was more aggressive offensively, quickly becoming a goaltending contest between Sweden’s Tommy Salo and Finland’s Ari Sulander.

Mikael Renberg missed the best scoring chance in the third period, when he broke away and skated toward the crease to go one-on-one with Sulander. Renberg’s close-range shot went off the prone goalie’s pads.

In a last-ditch effort to score, Finnish coach Hannu Aravirta pulled Sulander with more than a minute remaining for an extra attacker, but the Finns were unable to score. “It’s disappointing for us because we felt we had a chance,” Aravirta said. “I’m very satisfied with the team’s performance. In the last 24 hours, they were super-Finns.”

“It was a very special feeling to win with my dad,” said Peter Forsberg, who hugged his father on the ice after the victory. “It’s a great moment. There is no way to describe the feeling of standing on the blueline while you’re listening to your national anthem.”

BOXSCORE
1st Period
14:25 – 🇫🇮 PEN – Kiprusoff, interference

2nd Period
32:19 – 🇫🇮 PEN – Eloranta, holding
36:15 – 🇫🇮 PEN – Tuomainen, interference
38:16 – 🇸🇪 PEN – Modin, interference

3rd Period
none

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇸🇪 Salo (22-22)
L: 🇫🇮 Sulander (34-34)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇸🇪 10+14+10 = 34
🇫🇮 9+7+6 = 22

ROSTERS
🇸🇪 Goaltenders: Johan Hedberg, Tommy Salo. Defence: Niclas Hävelid, Kim Johnsson, Hans Jonsson, Jan Mertzig, Christer Olsson, Johan Tornberg, Mattias Öhlund. Forwards: Jonas Bergqvist, Ulf Dahlén, Nichlas Falk, Peter Forsberg, Anders Huusko, Mikael Johansson, Jörgen Jönsson, Patric Kjellberg, Fredrik Modin, Peter Nordström, Mikael Renberg, Mats Sundin, Niklas Sundström.
🇫🇮 Goaltenders: Jarmo Myllys, Ari Sulander. Defence: Jere Karalahti, Marko Kiprusoff, Janne Laukkanen, Kaj Linna, Toni Lydman, Antti-Jussi Niemi, Kimmo Timonen. Forwards: Mika Alatalo, Mikko Eloranta, Raimo Helminen, Juha Ikonen, Olli Jokinen, Sami Kapanen, Joni Lius, Toni Mäkiaho, Ville Peltonen, Kimmo Rintanen, Jarkko Ruutu, Marko Tuomainen, Antti Törmänen.

Article Credit: Associated Press
Photo Credit: Sport Bibeln – IIHF – HHOF – IOC