Nick Paul scored in overtime on a 2-and-1 break with Ottawa Senators teammate Connor Brown and Canada won its 27th world hockey title, beating Finland 3-2 in Riga, Latvia, on Sunday night.
Brown slid the puck over to Paul and he beat goaltender Jussi Olkinuora 6:26 into the extra frame.
Maxime Comtois and Adam Henrique also scored for Canada, which looked down-and-out after losing its first three games in Riga before going on an improbable run to the top of the podium.
Brown assisted on all three of Canada’s goals in the final to end the championship with a tournament-high 16 points (two goals, 14 assists).
Andrew Mangiapane, whose arrival midway through the preliminary round provided a spark for Canada, was named player of the tournament. The Calgary Flames forward had seven goals — including the winners in Canada’s quarterfinal and semifinal victories — and four assists in seven games.
Darcy Kuemper made 29 saves.
Earlier, the U.S. men took bronze, beating Germany 6-1.
The Americans earned bronze for the fourth time in the last eight world championship tournaments dating to 2013. Their last silver at a standalone worlds was in 1950. Their last gold at a standalone worlds was in 1933.
The U.S. was the best team in group play, going 6-1. After beating Slovakia 6-1 in the quarterfinals, it lost to Canada 4-2 in the semifinals on Saturday.
The U.S. roster included one player with Olympic experience, 2018 Olympic forward Ryan Donato, and one player who made an NHL All-Star team, forward Brian Boyle.
Captain Justin Abdelkader missed the entire playoff round due to a lower-body injury.
Canada’s team also lacked all of its NHL superstars, some of whom are still in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The NHL did not participate in the 2018 Olympics, but is expected to send players to the Winter Games next year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Canada wins men’s hockey world title in OT; U.S. wins bronze-medal game originally appeared on NBCSports.com