?Players of Russia celebrates victory after the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Slovakia Bronze Medal Game between Russia and the Czech Republic at Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia, on May 26, 2019. Russia won 3-2 after shootout. (Xinhua/Pawel Andrachiewicz)
BRATISLAVA, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Russia took the bronze at the 2019 Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia on Sunday, beating the Czech Republic 3-2 in a shootout.
After a slower start, with both teams' legs still heavy from their semifinal losses, Mikhail Grigorenko put Russia ahead in the 13th minute, redirecting Mikhail Sergachyov's shot under the right pad of the Czech goalie.
The Czechs bounced back quickly. Michal Repik tied the game only 41 seconds later. David Sklenicka found him open on the blue line and Repik had no trouble scoring through Andrei Vasilevski's legs on the breakaway. Five minutes later, Dominik Kubalik's one-timer from the left circle put the Czechs in the lead, 2-1.
Russia's answer came early in the second. Artem Anisimov's quick shot from the left circle bounced off a defender's stick through Simon Hrubec's five-hole again, 2-2.
The rest of regulation time and also overtime turned into a goalie fest with neither of the teams succeeding in putting one past them. Vasilevski ended the night with 48 saves, while his Czech counterpart kept 28 out of his net.
The shootout lottery favored the Russians whose captain Ilya Kovalchuk converted on the game winner.
Russia repeated their last medal win, going home with bronze in 2017 from the worlds in Germany. The Czechs are going home empty-handed for the seventh time in a row.
