Two goals by Mäenalanen lead Finland over Czechs

Things looked dark for Finland trailing 3-1 late in the middle act, but they managed to turn it into a win. Saku Kinnunen scored the game-winner and Saku Mäenalanen added another two goals to lead the championship in goal scoring with a total of six.

"We played a good third period and we have a good team," says Mäenalanen who at the same time thanks his line mates Teuvo Teräväinen and Artturi Lehkonen for the help to the position as top goal scorer.

"Now we have a great chance to reach the final," says Finnish goalie Juuse Saros. "We can beat any team."

The Czech players were of course disappointed to lose a game they appeared to have full control over. "I was sure after two periods that we would win, because the play and the game was going our way," said Martin Prochazka who scored the second Czech goal.

Finland started with high speed and it didn't take them more than three minutes to take the lead. A shot bounced off the boards behind the net to Finland's success player Saku Mäenalanen who scored his fifth goal of the 2014 World Junior Championship.

The Czech team didn't wait long to retaliate. When the Finnish defenders couldn't clear the puck in front of their goalie Juuse Saros, Dominik Simion got a stick on it and tied the game 45 seconds after the opening goal.

At eighteen minutes Finland got a golden opportunity to regain the lead when they got to play five-on-three for 1:47. They never got to any really great chances and the period ended 1-1.

The Nashville prospect Mäenalanen nearly scored his second goal at 24:44 but he was hooked and Finland got a new chance on the power-play. It didn't last more than 48 seconds before Henrik Haapala also got a penalty to make it four-on-four.

The Czech Republic took the lead at 31:07. After a long pass from a defenceman, Dominik Simon, Jakub Vrana and Martin Prochazka combined for the go-ahead goal. Prochazka was the last one to touch the puck before it crossed the goal line.

Saku Kinnunen nearly tied it again, but in the next shift the Czechs made it 3-1 as Vojtech Tomecek found Radek Faksa. Finland called a time-out after two allowed goals in three minutes, but Juuse Saros stayed in the net.

Finland got closer two minutes before the second intermission when Libor Sulak lost the puck to Rasmus Kulmala. Juuso Ikonen scored the 3-2 goal on the rebound from Ikonen's shot.

Six minutes into the third period the game was tied by Finland. Henri Ikonen deflected a shot, but his stick was high in the air and a video review was needed to confirm it.

At 51:39 Juuso Ikonen rounded the net and found Saku Kinnunen at the far post to score what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

The Czechs weren't able to respond to Kinnunen's goal. At 57:42 coach Miroslav Prerost called a time-out after a Czech icing. The goalie Marek Langhamer was pulled 1:28 before then end when Czech Republic got a face-off in the attacking zone. Finland was just inches from scoring an empty net goal 22.8 seconds before the end. Instead they got it at 59:45 when the tournament's leading goal scorer Saku Mäenalanen got his second goal of the game and sixth of the tournament.

The Finnish goalie Juuse Saros was of course happy to have the top scorer on his own team: "It's a nice thing to have him with us. Let's hope he continues to score."

"I think we were better but in the end we stopped playing and they scored two fast goals. Then we did our best but it was not enough," said a disappointed Jakub Vrana after the game. Vrana was born in 1996 and can play two more World Junior Championships.

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