HALIFAX, Canada (AFP) - Mikko Koivu scored the game winner in the third period as Finland rallied with three late goals to beat the United States 3-2 in the qualification round at the World Ice Hockey Championships on Sunday.
With the win, Finland guarantees itself at least second place in Group F heading into the quarter-finals, with a chance to place first by beating Canada on Monday.
The game turned ugly at the final horn as players fought, some of them leaving their benches to get into the melee.
There was also a controversial goal which US players said went through a hole in the side of the net that give Finland a 1-0 lead.
The International Ice Hockey Federation ruled after the game that the goal should have been waved off.
Finland played most of the game without Florida Panthers forward Olli Jokinen, who received a match penalty for a check from behind on American defenceman Tim Gleason.
Jokinen was one of three players suspended for at least one game Sunday and will miss Monday's game against Canada.
Referee Vyacheslav Bulanov called a total of 202 penalty minutes, including 106 against the US team.
Two other players were handed match penalties and received automatic one game suspensions for fighting at the end of the game.
Finland's Anssi Salmela and American David Backes fought with Salmela, who plays for Tappara Tampere, getting the worst of it with a suspected broken nose.
American Matt Greene and Finland's Antti-Jussi Niemi were also penalized for leaving their benches to join the melee, which started when American Dustin Brown ran Finland's Jussi Jokinen into the end boards. Brown was given a misconduct.
Koivu, Teemu Selanne and Ville Koistinen scored the goals for Finland, which outshot the Americans 45-22.
Phil Kessel and Tom Gilbert scored for the Americans, who next play Norway on Monday.
Koistinen's goal was sent upstairs for review and was ruled good initially. But after the game, the IIHF said on its web site that it should not have counted and suspended the goal judge from the remainder of the tournament.
The IIHF declined to release the name of the judge and no other details were given.
