HELSINKI, Finland, May 11 (UPI) -- Anson Carter scored at 13:49 of overtime Sunday to lead Canada to a 3-2 victory over Sweden and secure the team's first gold medal at the World Championships in six years.
After capturing gold medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in both men's and women's hockey, Canada continued its pursuit for the top prize at the World Championships with a convincing victory over the Czech Republic on Friday.
But it found itself in a 2-0 hole before Shawn Horcoff halved the deficit with 43 seconds to go in the first period.
Sweden, which grabbed the lead on goals by Mathias Tjarnqvist and P.J. Axelsson, maintained its slim margin after two periods thanks to Mikael Tellqvist's 19 saves. But Shane Doan beat the Toronto Maple Leafs' goaltending prospect with a slap shot at 9:03 of the third to draw Canada even.
Tellqvist and Roberto Luongo took turns stopping breakaways in the final minutes of the third to send the game to overtime, where Carter took matters into his own hands.
After Tellqvist knocked down Carter's slap shot with his glove, the New York Rangers' forward gathered the rebound and slipped it past the goalie on a wraparound to give Canada its 16th gold medal at the World Championships and first since 1997.
Referee Vladimir Sindler delayed Canada's celebration, subjecting the play to review. But after a lengthy discussion with video replay officials, the goal was upheld and the players poured onto the ice in jubilation.
The victory concluded a successful tournament for Canada, which also captured gold in the men's under-18 group and took home the silver medal in the men's under-20 category.
