MINSK, Belarus -- 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. "We came here to win the gold," Lindstrom said. "That was our goal. But the competition is very, very hard, and all in all it was a pretty good tournament for us." 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 Saturdays semis. Goaltender Anders Nilsson saved all 24 shots for the shutout. "Hes been phenomenal, not just tonight, but the whole tournament," Lindstrom said. "From game one, hes been our backbone on this hockey team." The Czechs -- the 2010 champions -- struggled in the preliminary round, recording three losses before recovering to eliminate the United States in the quarterfinals. Veteran forward Jaromir Jagr said after the game it was his last with the national team -- although he will continue playing for his New Jersey Devils next season. "Its not that I would think Im not good enough for it," Jagr said. "But this is a different hockey than I play. My hockey doesnt fit this style." The announcement came a year before the Czech Republic hosts the next worlds. Russia faces Finland in the final later Sunday. Cheap Paul George Shoes . Certainly not Monday night. George Hill took care of the early work, scoring a season-high 26 points, and Paul George closed it out by scoring 11 of his 26 points during a decisive second-half stretch that finally allowed Indiana to pull away from Minnesota 98-84 for yet another win. Clearance Paul George Shoes . - Urijah (The California Kid) Faber finds himself in an unaccustomed position Saturday night at UFC 175 — on the preliminary card. https://www.cheappaulgeorgeshoes.com/.com) - Graeme McDowell opened up with a first- round, 5-under 67 on Thursday and he holds a 2-shot lead at the WGC - HSBC Champions. Paul George Shoes From China . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Paul George Shoes Free Shipping . They never thought it would take some blood, too. Kevin Love grabbed his 4,000th career rebound as part of a 19-point, 13-board effort to lead the Timberwolves over the Utah Jazz 112-97 on Tuesday night. ACAPULCO, Mexico -- Dominika Cibulkova beat American Christina McHale 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 on Saturday to win the Mexican Open. The top-seeded Slovak, runner-up in the Australian Open in January, won her fourth career title and first since Stanford in 2013. "It was tough match, Im really tired, I had to dig deep physically and mentally", Cibulkova said. "She was very agressive and kept coming back, but its a final and thanks to my experience I was able to do it". The 21-year-old McHale, ranked 70th, reached her first tour title match. Previously, her best results where two semifinals in Quebec, in 2010 and 2011. "Im a little bit sad because I didnt win, but at the same time I know thatt Dominika is a very good player and I fought until the end," McHale said.dddddddddddd "I learned that I have the capacity to go far in tournaments, that Im capable of playing against the best so Im going to keep working every day to get better". McHale is one of six Americans aged under 25 who are between 18 and 70 in the WTA rankings, along with Lauren Davies (64), Alison Riske (46), Madison Keys (38), Jamie Hampton (31) and Sloane Stephens (18), and they represent the next generation of U.S. talent as the Williams sisters come toward the end of their careers. "There are several American going up in the rankings, we are pushing each other to be better", McHale said. ' ' '