2024 Ice Hockey World Championship: how has the Canada-Czechia result affected Group A?

The World Cup group stage in the Czech Republic has come to an exciting close. As the last group stage day approached, the anticipation was high to see which eight teams would advance to the quarterfinals.

The competition in Group A was particularly intense, with three teams vying for the top spot. This set the stage for a thrilling match between the home team, Chechia, and Canada, while Switzerland had an opportunity to make its mark against Finland.

The “Watch-Makers” secured a 3-1 victory over Finland, with Kevin Fiala of the Los Angeles Kings emerging as the hero by scoring two goals and assisting Andrea Glauser for the 2-0 lead. Meanwhile, Jere Innala managed to score the sole goal for Finland.

In the game between the Czech Republic and Canada, the first two periods were goalless, creating an air of anticipation. However, the third period turned into a goal-scoring frenzy, with a total of six goals, three from each side. Canada initially took a 3-1 lead with goals from Cozens, Mercer, and Hagel, but the Czech forced overtime with goals from Kubalik, Palat, and Červenka. In overtime, Cozens secured victory for Canada and secured their first place in Group A with his second goal after three minutes of play.

Great Britain concluded their world championship campaign with a bittersweet victory, securing a 4-2 win against Austria. Despite their impending relegation to the second division, the British ice hockey team performed commendable. In Group B, Sweden continued to assert dominance with a seventh consecutive victory, solidifying their position at the top. Their distinctive achievement includes being the only team to avoid overtime matches. The USA triumphed over Latvia with a 6-3 victory, while Germany secured the same 6-3 win against France in the remaining group matches.