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Team USA wins bronze in a shootout at World Championships

IHOCKEY-WORLD-FIN-USA

US forward Alex Galchenyuk scores a dessisive goal in a penalty shotout series during a bronze medal game Finland vs USA of the IIHF International Ice Hockey World Championship in Stockholm on May 19, 2013. AFP PHOTO/ ALEXANDER NEMENOV RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images)

AFP/Getty Images

Team USA won’t be heading home from the IIHF World Championships empty handed for the first time since 2004.

The Americans wrapped up their tournament with a 3-2 shootout victory over Finland in the bronze medal game. Canadiens rookie Alex Galchenyuk scored twice in the shootout to give them the win. IIHF shootout rules are different in that after the third round, teams can send the same player out continually to take shots.

Craig Smith and Paul Stastny each scored in regulation for Team USA as they led 2-0 after two periods. In the third, Finland would fight back behind Coyotes forward Lauri Korpikoski who scored twice to tie things up. The key player through all this for the Americans, however, was Ducks prospect goalie John Gibson.

Gibson, who starred and won gold with Galchenyuk at the World Junior Championships in January, stopped 36 of 38 shots faced and solidified his place as Team USA’s No. 1 goalie in spite of Lightning goalie Ben Bishop being on the roster. At 19 years-old he’s shown a lot of maturity in helping two teams medal this year.