A pair of goals by Yegor Sokolov and Ivan Morozov helped Russia's U20 ice hockey team defeat Sweden 5-4 after overtime in the semifinals of the 2020 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic on Saturday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th January, 2020) A pair of goals by Yegor Sokolov and Ivan Morozov helped Russia's U20 ice hockey team defeat Sweden 5-4 after overtime in the semifinals of the 2020 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic on Saturday.
Morozov, who is contracted to SKA St. Petersburg, scored the game-winning goal in overtime as Russia came from behind to win 5-4 (3-2, 0-1, 1-1, 1-0). Russia will play the winner of the second semifinal, which will also take place on Saturday, between Canada and Finland.
Rasmus Sandin opened the scoring for Sweden after just 16 seconds in the first period, before Russia scored three unanswered goals in the space of nine minutes through Morozov, Alexander Khovanov and Sokolov. Swedish forward Samuel Fagemo halved the deficit before the end of the first period.
Sweden then began to gain a foothold in the game. Sandin tied the score in the 32nd minute, before Nils Lundkvist scored at the start of the third period to give Sweden their first lead of the game.
Sokolov scored from a tight angle with eleven and a half minutes to go in regulation to tie the game at 4-4, and the game would eventually go to overtime. With three and a half minutes gone in the extra frame, Morozov beat Swedish goaltender Hugo Alnefelt to send Russia to the final for the first time since 2016.
Russia, who last won the gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championships in 2011, will play in the final against either Canada or Finland on Sunday in the Czech city of Ostrava.
