USA vs Czech Republic (Spoliers!)

[SoCalcaniac]

The Czechs have a 1-0 lead on the Americans after 1 period.

Where's G33? He'll be "happy" (?) to know Roman Checmanek is in net for the Czech team. :lol:

[SoCalcaniac]

The game was lookin' bleak with six minutes left in the game- Czechs were up 3-1 and now our own Chad Larose just scored a beauty of a shortie, as the Czech team was content to sit on the lead. GO CHAD!

Americans are pressing with 6 minutes left.......

[LostTexan]

Cole almost tied it up but did draw a penalty call.


BTW: How about that fight earlier in the period? Seeing Grahame skate all the way down was funny.

[LostTexan]

Hutch scores on the PP to tie it up at 3 w/ like 4 minutes to go

[RangersCanesFan]

Looks like they gave one up with about a minute left. 4-3 Czechs.

[LostTexan]

Yea it was a defensive breakdown with like 1:30 to go.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Thank you guys for the live updates! Keep 'em coming!

[nccanes]

not to be a party pooper (and maybe no one really cares about being unspoiled), but this is the Belarus thread...so the possibility exists.

[LostTexan]

Oh yea thats a good point. Can a mod split this off please?

[SoCalcaniac]

Well...... they fought a good fight, our #28 (wearing #24 for Team USA), Hutch, tied the thing up, and another defensive breakdown has a Czech player go in on Crackers (Jaroslav Bednar - didn't he play in the NHL?) and he scores in the dying minutes of the game. UGH.

Good they came back, but they gotta clean up the D coverage; JJ was on the ice when the final goal was scored. As was Kessel, who had a bad giveaway that lead to the 3rd goal for the Czechs- No Big Joe in this tourney.....

[RangersCanesFan]

Jaroslav Bednar:
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid%5B%5D=50539

Yes, he played with Los Angeles and Florida.

[Canesluver]

Thanks, all! :D I'm traveling on business (Orlando), and wasn't in an appropriate place to watch (bummer!--will have to watch it once it's up "on demand")

Here's a write-up:

Czechs hold off late American rally to win Group B

http://live82.ihwc.net/image/large/3710.jpg
http://live82.ihwc.net/img/cp.gif
http://live82.ihwc.net/img/cp.gif
Roman Cechmanek won the goaltending duel with the USA's John Grahame
http://live82.ihwc.net/img/cp.gif

MYTISCHI--It was another exciting chapter in the budding USA-Czech Republic rivalry as the Czechs held off a late American rally for a 4-3 win and first place in Group B of the Preliminary Round.
These two teams have provided IIHF World Championship fans with some of the hardest-fought games in recent memory. Defenseman Andy Roach gave the Americans victory in the 2004 quarter-finals, while Roach's miss in the shootout in 2005 paved the way for the Czech quarter-final win in 2005.
This year, there was no Roach to settle things, so it was left to Jaroslav Bednar to break a 3-3 tie with 1:08 left in the game with a shot from directly in front of the crease and put the Czechs over the top. He converted a neat pass from behind the net from Jan Marek.
"We showed a lot of character and never gave up," said American forward Chris Clark. "It's disappointing to lose, but we feel like we're building as a team. We felt that the two teams were equal and we played a respectable game."
The win gives the Czechs first place in Group B and six points going into the Qualifying Round. Meanwhile, the USA skates into the Qualifying Round with three points.
Things didn't look good for the Americans early in the third period, trailing 3-1 and down a man with less than eight minutes left. But the tide turned when Chad Larose fired home a shorthanded goal from the faceoff dot to make it a one-goal affair. Moments later, the Czechs were whistled for a penalty, and 11 seconds into the power-play, with 4:23 left in the game, Andrew Hutchinson scored the game-tying goal with a shot from the point.
"It went between my body and my blocker, but I have to expect those kinds of shots," said Roman Cechmanek. "They scored three goals on the power-play and that's not good enough for us. We have to do better."
"We showed a lot of character and never gave up," said American forward Chris Clark. "It's disappointing to lose, but we feel like we're building as a team. We felt that the two teams were equal and we played a respectable game."
The teams seemed destined to go to what would have been the first overtime in IIHF World Championship history following 60 minutes of Preliminary Round action when Bednar got the game-winner.
It was clear from the first whistle that the game would be a battle as the teams opened with a high tempo. The Americans enjoyed three early power plays, including a lengthy 5-on-3 in the first half of the period, and spent much of the first 10 minutes swarming in front of Czech goaltender Roman Cechmanek. But Cechmanek held his ground and held the Americans scoreless during the onslaught.
Things were reversed in the second half of the period as the Americans fell into penalty trouble. The Czechs went up 1-0 15 seconds into their third power play chance later in the period, when Jaroslav Hlinka fed the puck from behind the net to Petr Caslava, who was waiting at the top of the crease to convert at point-blank range.
The USA got on the board 4:42 into the second period with its first power play chance of the stanza. Ryan Suter's slapshot from the point powered past Cechmanek's pads for the equalizer. But the Czechs, inspired by the partisan crowd, played with high intensity for the rest of the period. So it seemed only fitting that an extra effort by Rostislav Olesz allowed the Czechs to reclaim the lead. Olesz made a sprawling pass to Zbynek Irgl, who streaked down the wing and beat American goaltender John Grahame on the far side.
The intensity of the two sides didn't wane in the third period. The teams kicked things off with a scrum in front of the Czech net, but little resulted, as the Americans couldn't produce with the ensuing power play chance. A costly USA turnover 7:51 into the third period made it a 3-1 affair, as Jan Marek scooped up the puck deep in the American zone and dished it to Petr Tenkrat for the goal.

[caveman]

LaRose with a shorty. Well, well, well... maybe we don't need to go looking for a high priced 3rd line center after all, eh?

[dakuwan]

LaRose with a shorty. Well, well, well... maybe we don't need to go looking for a high priced 3rd line center after all, eh?

Wasnt Chad moved to center when he almost got a hat trick on Brodeur?

[kermelbar]

Wasnt Chad moved to center when he almost got a hat trick on Brodeur?

Yup. (Though I think it was one goal on Brodeur and one on the back-up, whose name I don't know and am too lazy to look up right now. =.)

From today's game:

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i246/kermelbar/rosieusa050107.jpg

[puck_it]

brodeur's backup is Clemmenson