Defending champion Sweden blanked the Czech Republic 3-0 Sunday to earn the bronze at the ice hockey world championship. Joakim Lindstrom scored early and Simon Hjalmarsson netted another one in the opening period for Sweden to take control. Mikael Backlund rounded off the win with a wrist shot past goaltender Alexander Salak in the third, AP reported. Sweden had to settle for the third-place game after a 3-1 loss to Russia in the semifinals. The Czechs outshot Sweden 29-24 but failed to score for the second straight match after Finland blanked them 3-0 in Saturday's semis. Goaltender Anders Nilsson saved all 24 shots for the shutout. The Czechs - the 2010 champions - struggled in the preliminary round, recording three losses before recovering to eliminate the United States in the quarterfinals. Russia faces Finland in the final later Sunday.
