Russians in ice hockey final, Zagitova bags figure skating gold

GANGNEUNG, South Korea: Vasili Koshechkin made 31 saves as the Olympic Athletes from Russia, whose haven’t won Olympic men’s ice hockey gold since 1992, advanced to the Pyeongchang Games final by blanking the Czech Republic 3-0 on Friday.

The Russians, who boast the Olympics’ most prolific scoring attack, got second-period goals from Nikita Gusev and Vladislav Gavrikov and a clincher from Ilya Kovalchuk in the dying seconds to eliminate the previously unbeaten Czechs, who were denied their first Olympic crown since 1998.

Russian players will try to end their drought Sunday (tomorrow) against the winner of a later semi-final between two-time defending champion Canada and upstart Germany, who has never taken better than bronze.

The Canadians seek their fourth title in the past five Olympics. Germany captured bronze in 1932 at Lake Placid while West Germany captured bronze in 1976.

Elite NHL talent is absent at the Olympics for the first time since 1994 but there has been plenty of drama from European-based players who filled out national squads, including a Czech team bonded from world championship runs and a Russian lineup mostly from their homeland’s two top clubs.

The OAR took a 1-0 lead 7:47 into the second period when Gusev took a cross-ice pass from former NHL star Pavel Datsyuk and blasted a shot into the upper corner of the goal, flag-waving supporters chanting “Russ-i-a” in delight.

Just 27 seconds later, Gavrikov finished off a 2-on-1 breakaway to give the Russians a 2-0 edge.Kovalchuk, like Datsyuk a five-time Olympian, added an empty-net goal with 20.9 seconds remaining after the Czechs had removed goaltender Pavel Francouz for an extra attacker.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s curlers edged arch rivals Japan 8-7 in a tie-break to continue their fairytale journey all the way to women’s curling final.

The team’s charismatic bespectacled skip Kim Eun-jung threw the winning stone in the 11th end late Friday to seal a nip and tuck semi-final that had the raucous 3,000 capacity crowd on the edge of their seats for three gripping hours at the Gangneung Curling Centre.

The Garlic Girls, as the hosts’ team are known, will face Sweden who beat Britain comfortably 10-5 with an end to spare in the other semi-finals.Switzerland inflicted a 7-5 loss on Canada in the men’s bronze medal match.

In women’s figure skating, 15-year-old Alina Zagitova led a Russian one-two, securing the first gold for the neutrally flagged Olympic Athletes from Russia team.

Zagitova scored exactly the same as Evgenia Medvedeva in the free skate, but edged the 18-year-old two-time world champion by 1.31 points thanks to her sublime, world-record short programme on Thursday.

“I can’t believe I’m the champion,” said Zagitova, who is still in her debut season on the senior circuit. “It’ll take some time to sink in.”The result appeared devastating for Medvedeva, who was so overcome she was unable to finish a TV interview. An Olympic official followed her round with a box of tissues.

Dutchman Kjed Nuis picked up his second gold medal and the seventh for the Netherlands in speed skating with victory in the men’s 1,000m.Double world champion Nuis, 28, who won the men’s 1500m on Tuesday, struck again ahead of second-placed Norwegian Havard Lorentzen. Kim Tae-yun of South Korea was third.