Canada lost a second straight game at the Ice Hockey World Championships.
Slovenia and Hungary were relegated to Division 1A after the elite hockey world championships held in Tampere and Riga. Next year they will be replaced by Great Britain and Poland. The Canadians suffered a second consecutive defeat on Monday, but they are already guaranteed to advance to the quarter-finals.
Slovenia had no chance of staying in the top flight even before the last match and their 3-4 loss to Kazakhstan did not change that.
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It was much more interesting in Group A, where Hungary fought directly for relegation with Austria. Hungary led 3-1 at the start of the second half, but the Austrians managed to equalize and lead into extra time. Extra time was inconclusive and the final result was decided by a penalty shootout. The Hungarians didn’t use any of the four as their rivals hit the net twice and enjoyed remaining among the best teams in the world.
Canada suffered a second consecutive loss in Group B, this time on penalties against Norway 2-3. For both teams, however, the result was not of paramount importance – the Canadians had already secured a place in the quarter-finals, and the Norwegians were sure to stay.
Six teams are already certain of reaching the quarter-finals. The other two will be selected on Tuesday.
Next year the world championships in the Czech Republic will take place for the first time since 2002 with the participation of the Polish national team, which won promotion with Great Britain at the Nottingham tournament, which took place completed in early May.
CM, PAP
