2026 Olympic Games: Canada trails Finland 1-0 after 1st period of men's hockey semifinal

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Just two seconds into a power play, the Finns scored. The goal came off the faceoff. Sebastian Aho won it, and sent it back to Mikko Rantanen, who beat Binnington.

Canadian forward Sam Bennett was sitting in the box for goaltender interference. 

It's Rantanen’s second goal of the tournament.

The goal puts Finland up 1-0 as we work toward the end of the first period.

I am at Santagiulia arena where Canada's men's hockey team is taking on Finland in the semifinal. 

Before the warm-up, I spoke with Rick Celebrini, the father of 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini, who is a standout for Team Canada in his Olympic debut. 

Macklin Celebrini, who is playing his second season in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks, has scored five goals at the Olympics — including Canada's first of the games during the match against Czechia in the group stage. 

The elder Celebrini says his son has a great ability to stay focused and not get distracted by the pressure or hype. 

"He's become very good at compartmentalizing all of the stuff and just focusing on hockey," Rick Celebrini said.

"You take away all the hoopla and the Olympic rings and stuff like that, it's still hockey and that's where he's most comfortable ... On the ice when he's playing with his teammates and working his butt off."

He described what it was like the other night watching Canada squeak out an overtime win to advance to the semis. 

 "I don't think I've ever been that nervous for a sporting event, let alone a hockey game or or anything else for that matter," he said.

Macklin Celebrini has been playing alongside Connor McDavid, who has taken on the role of captain during the Finland game as Sidney Crosby isn't playing after being injured in the quarterfinal.

It was an extremely close semifinal until the sixth end, when Sweden scored two. 

Canada's skip, Rachel Homan, needed to make a tough shot in the seventh end but missed with the hammer and allowed Sweden to steal one.

The teams traded single points in the eighth and ninth. 

Canada, down 6-3, had the hammer in the 10th, but couldn't find a way to score.

Canada only had one player above 75 per cent accuracy; Sweden didn't have any under 80 per cent. 

Next up: Team Homan faces the U.S., the No. 2 seed, for the bronze medal on Saturday morning.

Halfway through this first period, Canada and Finland remain scoreless in the first of two men's hockey semifinals today.

Canada just killed a too-many-men penalty to keep things even.

Finland is outshooting Canada 7-3.

Switzerland will square off against Sweden for the gold at 5 a.m. ET on Sunday. 

Canada will try to rout the U.S. For bronze at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday.

After winning her second straight Olympic gold in the team pursuit with Isabelle Weidemann and Valérie Maltais on Tuesday, Ivanie Blondin is a longshot for the podium in the individual 1,500 metres, where she finished eighth at last year's world championships.

But she did earn a bronze at a World Cup meet in the Netherlands in December for her first medal in this distance since 2020.

Maltais and Béatrice Lamarche are the other Canadians in this race, but are not expected to contend. 

The favourite is Japan's Miho Takagi, while Dutch star Femke Kok goes for her third medal of the Games after winning gold in the 500 metres and silver in the 1,000 metres.

Sweden will play for women's curling gold after defeating Canada 6-3 in the semifinals.

Canada will play the U.S. For bronze.

"When you put the Canadian jersey on, that's all we think about is gold," Gretzky said. "We all watched it last night. The Canadian women played so good last night — as good as they could play. To get a late goal and lose in overtime, what a tough way to lose. But they should be very proud of what they accomplished. They played their hearts out."

We’ve reached the 10th end. Sweden leads it 6-3.

Homan has the hammer and needs some maple leaf magic.

As we turn to men's hockey, many are still thinking of yesterday's women's match and how, despite their loss, Team Canada defied the odds in dominating much of the game before the U.S. Took it in overtime.

Canadians across the world shared the heartbreak, and that included Canadian Armed Forces members in Latvia, who gathered inside their command bunker at the Adazi Training Area to cheer Canada's beloved women's hockey team. 

It was a piece of home for the Canadian-led NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia, which is on a rehearsal mission called Striking Thunder.

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