MONTREAL, May 23 – In a stunning upset at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, Norway defeated Sweden 3-2 on Saturday, capitalizing on special-teams play to secure their first win against their Nordic neighbors in a decade and a half.
The victory significantly improves Norway’s chances of advancing to the tournament’s playoff stage. Norway’s success came from converting short-handed opportunities into goals, netting twice while playing with a man disadvantage.
Noah Steen led Norway’s offensive effort with two goals, while Eirik Salsten provided the game-winning score during the middle portion of the final period. Goaltender Henrik Haukeland was instrumental in preserving the victory, stopping 32 shots and withstanding Sweden’s late-game offensive surge.
Sweden managed to find the net through Ivar Stenberg and Lucas Raymond, but squandered scoring opportunities and committed crucial mistakes that proved costly in the defeat.
The historical significance of the victory cannot be understated – prior to Saturday’s contest, Norway had managed just one win against Sweden in 19 world championship encounters, achieving that lone victory in a shootout 15 years earlier in Bratislava.
