VIDEO: Canada nets world junior gold, beats Finland 3-2 in overtime thriller
It took until the late stages of Saturday’s gold-medal sport, but Canada eventually confronted adversity at the Planet Junior Hockey Championship.
After blowing a two-aim guide to the Finns, Kent Johnson came to the rescue. At 3:20 of overtime, Johnson tucked household the rebound from his very own shot to give Canada a 3-2 win and the gold medal.
Coming into the 3rd, Canada held a 2- lead, but the Finns roared back again to tie the match in entrance of 13,327 lovers at Rogers Area. Soon after getting credited with just 13 pictures about the initially two periods, the Finns launched 17 shots on web in the 3rd, and got plans from Aleksi Heimosalmi and Joakim Kemell to deliver the video game to additional time.
The Canadians experienced lots of chances to bury the Finns, but went -for-6 on the electricity engage in in regulation.
Canada also obtained objectives from Joshua Roy and William Dufour. With two assists in the match, Mason McTavish concluded as the tournament’s leading scorer, with 8 objectives and 9 assists. He was named match MVP.
But McTavish’s greatest minute may not have been a goal or help, but clearing what seemed to be a match-winning exertion from Topi Niemela off the purpose line just seconds just before Johnson notched the determining objective.
From the group phase to the elimination round, Canada’s smallest margin of victory was 3. But the gold-medal sport against Finland marked a new form of problem for the Canadians, as the opposition went into a defensive shell proper from the opening faceoff.
The Finns clogged up the center of the ice and broke up the movement of the sport. When Canada founded regulate of the puck in the Finnish end, 4 of the five Finnish skaters collapsed to the front of their possess target, acting as a blockade for goalie Juha Jatkola. From higher than, it appeared as if the Finns have been enjoying with just a single ahead and four defencemen.
But Canada broke the Finnish blockade at 11:18 of the to start with. McTavish arrived out from powering the Finnish purpose, his shot was stopped by Jatkola, but the rebound fell to Joshua Roy, who made no error.
At 12:05, Finland’s Kalle Vaisanen finally recorded his team’s initial shot on purpose.
Canada didn’t let the Finns the probability to slow them down in the second. Just 41 seconds into the time period, a Dufour wrist shot conquer Jatkola.
Canadian ahead Kent Johnson had a chance to set his workforce up by 3 near the midway mark of the period, but Jatkola denied him on the breakaway chance.
It’s possible the Finns deficiency of output — just 13 shots — in the first two periods, lulled Canada to rest. They arrived out with extra offensive take care of in the ultimate period and halved the Canadian direct at 4:09. Heimosalmi’s issue shot floated by means of site visitors and in excess of the shoulder of Canadian goalie Dylan Garand.
At 10:46, the Finns got the tying purpose, with Kemell a single-timing home a fantastic pass from Topi Niemela.
Canada outshot the Finns 33-31.
The place does this Canadian functionality rank in environment junior heritage? Ahead of the closing, The closest anyone arrived to even making the Canadians sweat in this tournament was Switzerland, who bought to within just 5-3 of the Canadians in the quarterfinals, a video game the Canadians would go on to win by a 6-3 rely.
Canada received its four Group A game titles by an mixture rating of 27-7.
But, In 2005, Canada’s most strong junior crew ever — showcasing the likes of Sidney Crosby, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Getzlaf, Brent Seabrook and Corey Perry — went 4– in the team stage, scoring 32 plans and offering up just five. The Canadians conquer the Czechs 3-1 in the semifinal and triumphed 6-1 more than Russia in the ultimate.
While the world juniors has been plagued by poor attendance, the gold-medal recreation featured the premier and most animated crowd of the party. For the only time in the event, seats were opened to lovers in the upper bowl of Rogers Area.
SWEDEN NETS BRONZE
Isak Rosen scored the game-winner for Sweden in a 3-1 victory above Czechia to get the bronze medal at the entire world junior men’s hockey championship before on Saturday.
Immediately after Sweden’s Fabian Lysell scored at 14:22 in the initially period of time, Michael Intestine pulled Czechia even with a power-engage in aim at 13:30 of the next.
But Rosen restored Sweden’s direct much less than two minutes later and Linus Sojodin included an insurance goal with 4 minutes remaining in the video game.
Bronze wasn’t the medal colour Rosen and his teammates wished, but the Buffalo Sabres prospect was content with his team’s general performance Saturday.
“You strive to win the previous match,” Rosen claimed. “Of course we wanted the gold, but superior bronze than very little.”
Sweden’s Jesper Wallstedt stopped 27 pictures for the acquire. Czechia, previously the Czech Republic, experienced 20 saves from Tomas Suchanek.
Sweden completed 3rd in the event for the second time in a few years after the identical outcome in 2020 in Czechia.
The Czechs’ last medal was bronze in 2005.
Steven Sandor, The Canadian Push
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