Sports

Czechs, Sweden knocked out of Olympic hockey

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SALT LAKE CITY (REUTERS) — Reigning champions the Czech Republic and previously unbeaten Sweden were sent packing from the Olympic men’s ice hockey tournament.

Russia knocked off the Czechs 1-0 in a closely fought rematch of the 1998 final.

Meanwhile, qualifier Belarus pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history, beating previously undefeated Sweden 4-3 to advance to the semifinals.

“We stood on our heads … I really expected that Sweden would go to the gold-medal game, or least the medal games,” admitted Belarus goalie Andrei Mezin.

The Swedes had looked to be the strongest team in the tournament coming into the single-game-knockout quarterfinals, behind the superb goaltending of Tommy Salo.

But the Edmonton Oilers netminder surrendered three bad goals, including the winner by Vladimir Kopat with just over two minutes remaining, sinking the Swedes’ vaunted torpedo-checking system dead in its tracks.

Kopat’s slapshot from just inside center ice glanced off Salo’s facemask and trickled into the net.