A night of drama in Zurich
In a stunning finale at the World Ice Hockey Championships, Norway secured its first-ever medal by defeating Canada 3‑2 in overtime. Noah Steen struck the decisive goal 3:32 into the extra period, sending the Norwegian bench into celebration.
Canada had appeared to be on the brink of a comeback after falling behind 2‑0 in regulation. Robert Thomas scored twice in the final minutes of the third period to force sudden death, but the Norwegian defense held firm until Steen’s heroics.
The victory marks a historic moment for Norway, whose best previous result had been a fourth‑place finish in 1951. The performance underscored the rapid rise of a team that had already surprised many throughout the tournament.
Key contributors for Norway included Emilio Pettersen and Stian Solberg, who opened the scoring in regulation, and goaltender Henrik Haukeland, who made 44 saves to keep his side in the game. Canada’s netminder Jet Greaves stopped 21 shots.
The Canadian roster featured notable NHL figures such as Macklin Celebrini, Sidney Crosby, John Tavares, Mark Scheifele and Ryan O’Reilly, but the team could not overcome Finland’s 4‑2 semifinal victory.
Finland, led by Aleksander Barkov, will meet Switzerland in the championship final later Sunday. The Swiss side had also eliminated the United States earlier in the competition.