Team Canada on brink
After heart-stopping win over Czechs, Canada must beat Flames' goalie
By MICHELLE MARK, CALGARY SUN
Team Canada's heart-stopping overtime victory against the Czech Republic last night has them skating into position for one of their biggest challenges yet -- going puck to pads against star Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. With a 4-3 win against the Czechs last night, Team Canada will play Finland for the World Cup Championship on Tuesday.
"It was an awesome game," said Jared Coombs, at Schanks northwest last night.
"When Mario (Lemieux) scored that second goal, I thought it was all over."
Fans burst into cheers as Eric Brewer and Lemieux scored a pair of goals in the second period, launching Team Canada into World Cup contention with a 2-0 lead.
But the Czechs responded with a second-period goal and another early in the third to tie it up.
Canada's Kris Draper put Canada back on top in the middle of the third period, but the Czechs bounced back six seconds later to force extra time.
In overtime, Vincent Lecavalier scored the winning goal.
Now, after Kiprusoff stopped hockey fans in their tracks with his keen eye and cat-like reflexes in front of the net during the Stanley Cup playoffs, Flames team captain Jarome Iginla will be pitted against his team ally for world hockey supremacy.
"It's going to be weird," said diehard Flames fan Kathy Martin.
"Who do you cheer for? I guess Canada, and if the Finns -- with Kipper -- win, we can still claim some of the glory for ourselves."
In last night's game, Roberto Luongo got his first World Cup of Hockey goaltending start in place of the injured Martin Brodeur.
Brodeur hurt his wrist late in a quarter-final win over Slovakia on Wednesday.
