Milan (Rajeev Sharma): Mitch Marner scored a dramatic overtime winner to lift Canada to a thrilling 4-3 victory over Czechia in the men’s hockey quarterfinals at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Wednesday, keeping the country’s gold-medal hopes alive.
The Thornhill, Ontario native sealed the win just 1:22 into three-on-three overtime, skating through the Czech defence before firing a backhand shot past goaltender Lukas Dostal.
Head coach Jon Cooper praised the forward’s clutch performance. “There’s never a doubt when Mitch Marner is on the ice. He always finds a way to deliver when it matters,” he said.
Canada had earlier fought back from a late 3-2 deficit in regulation. Nick Suzuki tied the game with less than four minutes remaining, deflecting a point shot to force overtime.
Teenage sensation Macklin Celebrini starred with a goal and two assists, while Nathan MacKinnon added another goal. Connor McDavid contributed two assists, bringing his tournament total to 11 points — tying the record for most points by an NHL player at a single Olympic Games. Goaltender Jordan Binnington made 21 saves.
Celebrini’s nine points in four games also set a new Olympic record for a teenager in a tournament featuring NHL players.
Canada faced a major setback when captain Sidney Crosby left the game early in the second period with a leg injury after an awkward collision. He did not return, but addressed the team during the second intermission.
The Czechs had taken a 3-2 lead midway through the third period through Ondrej Palat, but Canada continued to press before Suzuki’s late equalizer.
With the win, Canada advances to the semifinals, where it will face Finland. The United States will meet Slovakia in the other semifinal.
Canada, which previously won Olympic gold with NHL participation in 2002, 2010 and 2014, is aiming to return to the top of the podium after the league’s absence from recent Games.
