MILAN, Feb 18 : Mitch Marner secured a place for Canada in the final four with an overtime goal that lifted the favourites past the Czech Republic 4-3 in an Olympic ice hockey quarter-final thriller on Wednesday.
The overwhelming pre-tournament favourites were down 2-3 late in the third period, when Nick Suzuki levelled it. Marner’s shot over the Czech goalie’s shoulder set off an ecstatic celebration through the Canadian fans at Santagiulia Arena in the nerve-searing overtime.
The Czech team punched way above their weight class against the formidable cast of Canadian superstars but ran out of firepower in the final stretch of the fight.
Canada will be re-seeded along with the other three semi-finalists, with the top seed playing the lowest surviving seed and the second and third seeds facing off on Friday. Slovakia booked their final-four slot earlier on Wednesday, dispatching Germany 6-2.
