Czechs reach playoffs at ice hockey Worlds after drubbing of Norway

The Czech Republic have reached the knockout stage of the Ice Hockey World Championship in Sweden and Finland. The Czechs needed any kind of win over Norway to reach the playoffs and in the end made light work of their opponents on Tuesday, scoring three goals in the first 12 minutes and eventually running out 7:0 winners. The star of the show was forward Tomáš Plekanec, who joined the Czech squad only on Sunday from the NHL. He and his teammates now face group winners Switzerland for a place in the semi-finals.