World Championship - Kotalik lifts Czechs to shootout win

Eurosport - Sat, 10 May 21:33:00 2008

Ales Kotalik scored the tying goal in regulation time and the winner in a shootout as the Czech Republic edged Belarus 3-2 at the world championships.

ICE HOCKEY Czech Republic Ales Kotalik - 0

The victory moved the Czechs to the top of Group E with a record of 3-1 while Belarus's second straight shootout defeat ended their chances of advancing to the quarter-finals.

Yaroslav Chupris had the only goal of the first period to give Belarus a 1-0 lead while Tomas Rolinek answered back for the Czechs in the second.

Kotalik and Belarus's Andrei Kostitsyn traded third period goals sending the contest to a scoreless overtime followed by a shootout.

Kotalik netted the winner when he lifted a backhand over Vitali Koval and Milan Hnilicka stopped Mikhail Grabovsky to clinch the victory.

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