Canada

Canada’s men’s hockey team is headed to the Olympic final after beating Finland 3-2 in the semifinals. They will play for gold on Sunday, while Finland will play for bronze on Saturday.

Canada will play the United States in the final later Team USA beat Slovakia 6-2 in their semifinal matchup on Friday.

The matches came a day after the U.S. women’s team defeated Canada for a gold medal in a exciting 2-1 comeback in extra time.

Canada played an offensive game, taking 39 shots on goal. Finland played defense and took 17 shots.

Finland’s Mikko Rantanen scored the first goal of the game as the team was on a power play with just three minutes left in the first half. He managed to get the puck seconds after a faceoff near the Canada net and then sent it hurtling past Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington.

Early in the second period, Erik Haula scored a second goal for Finland after breaking away from the huddle and speeding up the ice to fire the puck past Binnington.

Canada scored its first goal in the final minutes of the second period on a power play. Team Canada’s Sam Reinhart was credited with the goal after deflecting teammate Cale Makar’s off-ice shot into the net to roars from the crowd.

Canada tied it in the third period when Shea Theodore fired the puck past Finnish goalie Juuse Saros during a scrum in the Finland net.

Canada took the lead in the final 35 seconds of the game when Nathan MacKinnon scored during a power play. The goal came after a series of quick passes just in front of the Finnish net.

The play was immediately questioned, and the referees reviewed it from multiple camera angles to make sure it had not gone out of play, but it was confirmed by the referees.

The final 20 seconds of the match were played as a five-on-five matchup, with Finland pulling their goalie out of the net. Finland shot on goal in the final seconds, but the puck was caught by Binnington.

The crowd, which Canadian outlet CBC reported was mostly Canadian, erupted in cheers in the final seconds of the game and roared with approval as Canada was victorious. The players remained on the ice for several minutes to celebrate their victory and could be seen hugging and shaking hands as the crowd cheered.

Canada’s Brad Marchand told an NBC News correspondent that the team is made up of “an incredible group of guys” who were able to “keep pushing” when trailing by two goals. He said several players “took over the leadership” with captain Sidney Crosby out due to injury.

“Those guys are so dominant when they come out together, especially on a power play,” Marchand said. “You can feel it. You can feel it coming. All you need is a chance.”

Marchand added that the team is ready to face either the United States or Slovakia on Sunday.

“Both teams are very competitive and very deep,” Marchand said. “Whoever it is, we will be ready for it.”