Pastrnak's third period hat-trick powers Czechia to first World Championship medal since 2012

It wasn't the start they wanted, but in the end, they got the job done. For the first time since 2012, Czechia has won a medal at the IIHF World Hockey Championship.

The United States led Czechia 3-1 after the first period following goals from Karson Kuhlman (twice) and Adam Gaudette, who has been their leader offensively throughout the tournament.

To start the second period, goaltender Marek Langhamer came in to replace Karel Vejmelka, in what turned out to be a massive move for Head Coach Kari Jalonen.

Czechia brought the score within one in the second period after Jiri Smejkal netted his second of the tournament, but it was the third period where they turned things around.

The Czechs used a six-goal third period, including a hat-trick from David Pastrnak and two from David Kampf to lead their nation to the bronze medal.

It was tough for the United States, who were down to only four healthy defenceman for the last few games of the tournament, with Sam Lafferty taking shifts on D. Ultimately, the Americans were tired and ran into a highly-skilled offensive team in Czechia.

Czechia captain Roman Cervenka recorded two points in the win to bring his tournament total to seventeen. Cervenka now holds Czechia's record for most points in a single World Championship, beating out Jakub Voracek who had sixteen in 2019.

Congratulations to Czechia on winning the bronze medal and ending their medal drought.

Lift it high, @narodnitym 🥉🏆#CZEUSA #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/DuoJ6luQgn— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 29, 2022

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