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Ovechkin receiving Kharlamov Trophy

Russia fails to defend Ice Hockey World Champions title

The Russian hockey squad has failed to defend their hockey world champions title, going down to Czech Republic with a 2-1 scoreline in the final game on Sunday.

Aleksandr Ovechkin and Sergey Fedorov missed the Russian training session in the morning due to small injuries, but they were both in the lineup for the game at Lanxess Arena in Cologne.

As well as another forward, Nikolay Kulemin, who received a match penalty in the semis against Germany on Saturday, but avoided more serious sanctions from hockey officials.

The teams had little more than 24 hours of rest ahead of the crucial game, but Russia’s coach Vyacheslav Bykov said: “The final is a final. We have to pull out additional emotions”.

“We want Canada!”

Clash all ice hockey fans around the world have been dreaming of is now a reality. So far unstoppable in Germany, Ovechkin & Co. now have a chance to get even with Team Canada for Vancouver's playoff blow.Propeller Defending world champions Russia set up a meeting with Canada in the last eight – a replay of the quarter-final at the Olympics, which the Canadians won 7-3 on their way to the gold.On Tuesday, the Russians hammered Finland 5-0 to top qualifying Group E, while the Canadians occupied the fourth slot in Group F.Atlanta Thrashers forward Maksim Afinogenov picked up a goal and an assist, captain Ilya Kovalchuk added two assists, while goalie Semyon Varlamov recorded a shutout. But a wake-up call by veteran striker Sergey Fedorov cooled their enthusiasm. Fedorov netted the powerplay opener late in the first period, sending the puck into an unguarded post from Alexander Semin's cross, after which Russia gained control of the game once and for all.Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeny Malkin and Toronto Maple Leafs striker Nikolai Kulemin added one apiece within just 10 seconds in the second period to give their side a solid 3-0lead. Ak Bars defender Aleksey Emelin and Maksim Afinogenov added two more goals in the final period to secure Russia's record 25th consecutive win at the worlds.The widely anticipated battle against Canada will take place in Cologne on Thursday at 10.15pm Moscow time. In other quarter-finals, Sweden will take on Denmark, Finland faces the Czech Republic, while hosts Germany play Switzerland.