Canada, Sweden to Have Rematch in World Hockey Semifinals

Canada gained a chance to avenge the shootout at Lillehammer, Norway, when it beat the Czech Republic, 3-2, Thursday to earn a berth against Sweden in the semifinals of the World Hockey Championships.

The game will be a rematch of Canada’s sudden-death loss to the Swedes in the Olympic final two months ago, although the cast of characters on both teams is different. Both are bolstered by NHL players.

Canada’s only holdover is Paul Kariya, the Mighty Ducks’ draft choice who had a goal and an assist against the Czechs. In the Olympic final, Kariya missed in a sudden-death shootout to give Sweden the gold.

“I still think of it sometimes, but now I’m focusing 100% to win the world championships,” said Kariya, who is tied for the tournament scoring lead with 10 points.

The other semifinal Saturday will pit the United States, upset winners over Russia on Wednesday, against Finland, 10-0 winners over Austria on Thursday. Finland beat the U.S., 7-2, in their first meeting.