Switzerland stayed one win from its first world title on Saturday, blanking Norway 6-0 to reach the Iihf World Championship final for the third straight year. Leonardo Genoni made 20 saves for the shutout, and Norway was pushed into the bronze medal game.
The final will be decided later Saturday, when Canada meets Finland in the other semifinal. Switzerland has now finished second in the previous two worlds, and this run has come in front of sold-out crowds at Swiss Life Arena that have kept the building loud from the opening faceoff to the end.
Christoph Bertschy opened the scoring with 2:24 left in the first period, and Denis Malgin added the second early in the second on an odd-man rush. Ken Jager made it 3-0 before Damien Riat scored on the power play to stretch the lead to 4-0 in the middle period. Nico Hischier added another in the third, and Theo Rochette finished the rout.
Sven Andrighetto picked up two assists and moved atop the scoring table with 15 points in nine games. The result also came without Timo Meier, who was unavailable after the world championship disciplinary panel gave him a one-game suspension for kneeing Oskar Sundqvist in the semifinal against Sweden. Switzerland did not need him against Norway, but the absence sharpened the edge of a team that has spent this tournament playing under pressure and, so far, answering it.
What comes next is simple and heavy: Switzerland will face either Canada or Finland for the championship, with a chance to turn three straight finals into a title that has eluded it twice already.
