Jakub Stancl fired a hopeful shot with overtime looming.
Czechia had already given underwhelming Canada all it could handle in the countries’ quarterfinal matchup at last year’s world junior hockey championship.
The powerhouse nation trailed 2-0 after the first period before tying things up in the second. Canada was pushing throughout the third in another largely disappointing performance at a tournament riddled with uninspired play.
Then disaster struck in Sweden.
Stancl’s effort glanced off Canadian defenceman Oliver Bonk’s stick and the near post of goaltender Mathis Rousseau to give the Czechs a 3-2 lead with just 11.7 seconds remaining in regulation.
Red-clad fans inside Gothenburg’s Scandinavium arena buried faces in hands. Bonk’s shoulders sank. The 20-time gold medallists would finish an ugly and unacceptable fifth.
“It’s not something that’s your fault,” Bonk said looking back on the sequence. “Or in your control.”
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