Defending Olympic champions Finland narrowly missed a chance to advance to the gold medal game after a hard-fought semi-final against tournament favorites Canada. Finland held a two-goal lead early in the second period, but Canada mounted a comeback, scoring the decisive goal with less than a minute remaining.
"Sad, upset, a lot of emotions, so I kind of feel flat," said Erik Haula, who plays for the NHL's Nashville Predators. "We lost. They're going to the gold-medal game and we're going to the bronze, and I don't feel anything."
Despite being outshot significantly, Haula stated the team gave their best effort against the presumed best team in the world. "We played the best team in the world, we took it to them," he added. "Our goal was to prove everyone wrong, and it just came short."
Finland will now compete for the bronze medal against the loser of the other semi-final. Captain Sebastian Aho acknowledged the difficulty of the loss but expressed determination. "I'm sure that when it's all said and done, the bronze medal will be an unbelievable accomplishment."