The fourth World
Championship took place in Helsinki, Finland from 18th to 25th May 2002. As
expected, Sweden won the tournament, although this time Finland gave them a
really hard time. The event had an unlucky outcome for the Czech team.
Unsurprisingly, Sweden dominated group A, outclassing all their opponents. They defeated Denmark 15-2, Norway 13-0, and Germany 18-1. Basically, this group was only about the fight for the second place. And it was Norway who came off best from the battle of the three teams thrashed by Sweden, beating both Germany and Denmark.
Matches in group B, which featured the Czech team, were much closer and more interesting. The first three teams had identical match record: two wins and one loss. The Czechs sensationally managed to beat Finland 4-3 and followed up on the 2-2 draw from the previous championship. The Finns thus didn’t beat the Czech team for the second time in a row. This feat helped the Czechs secure the second place in their group.
Sweden and Finland cruised easily through the quarterfinals, with the defending champions crushing Latvia 16-0 and their challengers outclassing Germany 7-1. On the contrary, the Czech Republic and Switzerland worried about their advancement to the semis until the very last moment. Switzerland narrowly overcame Norway 3-2. The match between the Czech Republic and Denmark went into overtime after a 4-4 draw, in which Pavel Kožušník brought great relief to the Czechs with a golden goal.
So, the favorites for both semifinals were clear. And the assumptions were confirmed. The Czechs were routed by Sweden 1-7, while Finland outplayed Switzerland convincingly 5-1. A Nordic final and a bronze medal game between the Czech Republic and Switzerland gradually became an evergreen.
For the Czech players, the tournament ended in a big disappointment. Despite being down by three goals in the 3rd place game, they managed to close the gap and tied the score at 3-3. However, Stefan Lüthi scored the decider in overtime and the Czechs remained without medals.
The final between the Nordic giants was incredibly tight for a long time and Sweden gained their decisive lead with just nine minutes left in the match. By winning 6-4 they earned their fourth gold medals out of four world championships.
Johan Anderson of Sweden was the scoring leader of the tournament and won the MVP prize as well.
DAY 4: Group Stage Culminating, Czech Republic to Face Switzerland – 4.12.2018
Germany Saves Czechs by Beating Latvia, Nordic Powers Post Convincing Wins – 4.12.2018
Sweden Dominates Norway to Get Easy 9-1 Win – 3.12.2018
Estonia Beats Thailand 11-4 to End Group Stage Unbeaten – 3.12.2018
Great First Period Secures First Victory for Finland – 3.12.2018
Great Defense Gives Australia First Tournament Win over Poland – 3.12.2018
Data Analysis: Latvia vs Czech Republic 4:3 – 3.12.2018
Impressive Third Period Pushes Germany to First Win in Prague – 3.12.2018
Zubir‘s Two Goals Help Singapore Beat Japan in Front of 6,341 Spectators – 3.12.2018
Data Analysis: Finland vs Sweden 4:5 – 3.12.2018
DAY 3: Program Starts with Asian Battle, Fans to See Two Nordic Derbies – 3.12.2018
Latvia Stuns the Hosts, Slovakia and Switzerland on Scoring Surge – 3.12.2018
Estonia Wins Evening Thriller in Arena Sparta – 2.12.2018
First Tournament Surprise as Latvia Beats Czech Republic 4-3 – 2.12.2018
Battle between Canada and Singapore Ends in First Tournament Draw – 2.12.2018
Switzerland Outclasses Germany 13-1, Känzig Scores Four Goals – 2.12.2018
Japan Enters Tournament with 1-15 Loss against Slovakia – 2.12.2018
Norway Turns Score to Get First Tournament Win – 2.12.2018
Data Analysis: Germany vs Czech Republic 5:10 – 2.12.2018
DAY 2: Twelve Teams in Action, Czechs to Face Latvia – 2.12.2018