Another Pulse-Pounder Sees Canada’s Men Move to Gold-Medal Game

As the Irish Rovers once put it – wasn’t THAT a party?

Canada’s men’s hockey team scored three unanswered goals in Friday’s Olympic semi-final to oust a game and tough Finland team 3-2 and book their ticket to Sunday’s gold-medal game.

As dramatic as the Canucks quarter-final match-up against Czechia was earlier this week, the semi-final was just as wild.

Maybe more so.

“What a game. What an atmosphere. Just listen to this,” quipped Olympic TV analyst and former NHLer Kevin Bieksa moments after the Canadian victory.

The Finns came out with their expected grinding game and suffocated Canada’s vaunted attack through the first period and a half.

It was a slog.

The first was highlighted by a Miko Rantanen goal nearly 16 minutes in. Finland upped their lead to 2-0 early in the second as Eric Haula tallied.

After that, Jordan Binnington – as he is prone to do in these events – didn’t allow anything. Binnington again donned the Superman cape with brilliant stops in the third.

Canada got on the board when Florida’s Sam Reinhart scored to bring it to 2-1 late in the second period.

It was, to put it mildly, the perfect tonic. And from that moment on it was pretty much Canada on the attack, perpetually.

Pouring it on in the final frame, the Canadians got a tally from blueliner Shea Theodore to tie it 2-2. The goal was in dispute as Brad Marchand (surprise, surprise) tumbled into Finnish goalie Juuse Saros. Replays though showed the Nova Scotia native was pushed into the netminder and the goal, and the equalizer, stood.

So then, cue the heroics.

Canada landed a power play with just two minutes and change left in regulation time. An errant stick caught Nathan MacKinnon high on his cheek and out trotted the No. power-play unit.

MacKinnon, flanked by Connor McDavid and super-kid Macklin Celebrini didn’t leave the ice through the full two minutes and coach Jon Cooper’s hunch paid off as Mackinnon heeled one in off of Saros’s skate with 35.2 seconds left.

Finland challenged the play for an earlier offside.

The challenge was close but not close enough to be over-turned.

Winning goal; winning team. And just like that the defending gold medallists grab a seat on the sideline to watch the team that roared back from 2-0 go for the crown.

Canada now awaits the winner of Team USA versus surprising Slovakia.

The gold game goes Sunday at 8 a.m. ET.

Safe to say, you won’t need much in the coffee department to jolt you awake early on that day.

thegrossgame@yahoo.com

Photo: Courtesy TSN