HOCKEY / WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS : Americans Clinch Fifth Place With Fifth Victory in a Row

The United States beat Norway, 4-1, Sunday to clinch fifth place in the World Hockey Championships.

The Americans’ fifth consecutive victory--their longest winning streak in 57 years in these championships--gave them an unbeatable 10 points in the four-team relegation pool with one round left.

It was the best showing by the Americans in the Worlds since the 1985 tournament, when they made the medal round and placed fourth in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

A U.S. team has not recorded a longer winning streak in the world championships since 1933, when the Americans beat Canada, 2-1, at Prague to win the gold medal.

“I tried to use it as an incentive before the third period,” said Tim Taylor, Team USA coach. “Our general manager came down in the locker room and told me about it.”

They needed it. The Americans didn’t play with much emotion.

The United States placed sixth last year, seventh in 1987 and sixth in 1986. There was no world championship in 1988.

The three first U.S. goals were scored by NHL players--Jeff Norton of the New York Islanders, Paul Ranheim of the Calgary Flames and Kevin Stevens of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Greg Brown from Boston College completed the scoring on the power play at 15:37 in the third period, beating the Norwegian goalie with a backhander on a breakaway.

The International Ice Hockey Federation withdrew its threat to boycott the 1992 Winter Olympics after reaching an agreement with the French organizers to expand the tournament and alter the format to include a gold-medal game.

“There are no problems; they are solved,” said Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee.