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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Lecavalier puts Canada in final


Vincent Lecavalier closes in on goaltender Tomas Vokoun to score the game-winning goal in overtime.
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press

TORONTO — From Stanley Cup to World Cup, Vincent Lecavalier starred again.

Lecavalier, who helped lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to the NHL championship in June, scored 3:45 into overtime Saturday night to give Canada a 4-3 victory over the Czech Republic and send the host nation into the title game of the World Cup of Hockey.

“Scoring in overtime for your country to go to the finals is pretty high in my career for sure,” said Lecavalier, who assisted on Ruslan Fedotenko’s Stanley Cup-winning goal in Game 7 against Calgary.

The Canadians, who have reached the championship game in all seven Canada Cup/World Cup tournaments, will face Finland in Toronto on Tuesday.

Finland is the surprise opponent, having eliminated the United States in St. Paul, Minn., in the other semifinal Friday night.

The final game might be the last NHL-style hockey that’s played for a while as the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the players’ association expires the following day. The sides are far apart, and a lockout that threatens next season is expected to be imposed.

Canada’s Roberto Luongo made 37 saves — including all five in overtime — in his first start of the tournament in place of the injured Martin Brodeur, who allowed only three goals on 100 shots in Canada’s first four games.

Mario Lemieux, Kris Draper, and Eric Brewer also scored for Canada, which squandered two third-period leads to set up the overtime.

Petr Cajanek, Martin Havlat and Patrik Elias scored for the Czech Republic, and Tomas Vokoun made 20 saves.

Lecavalier wasn’t even an original selection to Canada’s roster, but a fine showing in the Stanley Cup playoffs — nine goals, seven assists — and an injury to Steve Yzerman landed him on the team.

And boy, is Canada glad.

Already struggling through a tense game without its top goalie, Canada breathed a big sigh of relief when Lecavalier scored.

His first attempt in front was stopped by Vokoun, and then Lecavalier whiffed on the rebound. He skated back along the goal line and roofed a shot that sent the red-clad, chanting fans into a frenzy.

“After I missed my first shot, it went between my legs,” Lecavalier said. “I knew I didn’t have much time so I just turned around and shot it as quick as I could. I knew I had to go high.”

Canada is 5-0 and hasn’t had to leave the country for any game in the tournament.

It will face Finland (4-0-1), which along with the Czech Republic came out of the European Division and had to travel to North America for the final rounds.

The defeat was a bitter one for the Czech Republic, which lost coach Ivan Hlinka to a fatal car crash just before the tournament.