QUEBEC — Mattias Weinhandl scored 3:15 into overtime Wednesday to give Sweden a 3-2 victory over the Czech Republic and a berth in the semifinals at the IIHF World Hockey Championship.
Sweden will play the winner of another quarter-final later Wednesday between Canada and Norway in Friday's semifinals. It is the eighth consecutive year Sweden will play in the semifinals, where it lost 4-1 to Canada last year in Moscow.
The Czechs had just killed a penalty when Weinhandl slipped a backhand shot in heavy traffic to the net, where it slid just inside the post.
Radim Vrbata gave the Czechs a 2-1 lead on a penalty shot 8:19 into the third period after he was tripped on a breakaway, but Sweden got it back on a disputed goal by Marcus Nilson at 16:22. to set up the 10-minute 4-on-4 overtime period.
Rickard Wallin backed into Milan Hnilicka and knocked him over, and the Czech goaltender was unable to get up and get set in time to stop Nilson's shot. The Czechs complained vehemently to the referees to no avail.
Sweden's Patric Hornqvist and Czech Tomas Rolinek exchanged goals in the second period.
The Swedes spent much of an uneventful first period killing penalties, but managed to get the best chance when Hnilicka robbed Hornqvist from the slot with a quick glove save.
Sweden finally broke the ice on a power play 7:43 into the second frame, when Hornqvist jumped on Anton Stralman's rebound, stepped around Hnilicka and slid in his sixth goal of the tournament.
The Czechs tied it on a rush at 10:28 when Rolinek trailed in to bang Ales Kotalik's rebound past Henrik Lundqvist.
