One goal was enough to silence the Swiss Life Arena, both in the stands and on the ice, with only a few individuals remaining active. For the third consecutive year, the ice hockey World Championship final turned into a tense tactical battle. And for the third consecutive year, Switzerland emerged as the losers, this time watching Finland's dominance unfold, right in their own home. The winning goal was scored by forward Konsta Helenius in the 71st minute, securing Finland's fifth gold medal in overtime.

The opponents, on the other hand, secured their fifth final defeat. And overall, their sixth silver medal. After the years 1935, 2013, and 2018, they are now extending this unfortunate streak for the third year in a row. They had previously met, at the end of Group A, where the two seemingly dominant teams battled for the top spot in the standings at the Swiss Life Arena. The home team broke the tie in the third period when Ken Jäger scored the winning goal in the 57th minute. Nico Hischier then secured the 4-2 victory by scoring into the empty net.

“It will be a close game,” predicts forward Hannes Björninen. His teammate, Jesse Puljujärvi, added, considering the atmosphere: “We've experienced this before, we're looking forward to it!” It is said that a team is never defeated twice at the same tournament. At least, that's usually the case when two evenly matched opponents face each other. If that were to hold true this time, Suomi would be celebrating their fifth gold medal, the fourth in the last fifteen years. The Swiss record, with eight bronze and five silver medals, also speaks in their favor. The Alpine country has played in four finals since 2013, and has failed to win in all four attempts, including the previous two championships.

Will anything change in the third consecutive World Championship title match? There is at least one major difference compared to the years 2024 and 2025: the host country played in the afternoon semi-final this time, giving them five more hours of rest. They could also conserve energy during the match against Norway, which they dominated despite some nervous moments at the beginning. “But now it’s our turn to take it,” says veteran Nino Niederreiter, who has been part of all four final defeats, despite playing in the NHL. “It has been close almost every time, whether it was in the shootout against Sweden in 2018 or in overtime against the USA last year. We know how close these games can be, but we must not be complacent.”

And most importantly, they must not be weighed down by the moment, as was the case last year and the year before with the Czech Republic in Prague (0:2). Playing in front of a roaring home crowd will likely be a challenge. How will the team of Jan Cadieux, who replaced Patrick Fischer as head coach at the last minute due to forged COVID-19 vaccination certificates, perform in the historic first gold medal match between Switzerland and Finland? Not only in Zurich and throughout the country, but hopes are high for an unforgettable evening in the nearly 120-year history of Swiss ice hockey.

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