Canada rallies for World Junior win over U.S.
It would have been hard for any hockey game to live up to the hype of this one, but ask anyone that watched the New Year’s Eve battle between Canada and the U.S.A. at the World Junior Championships in Ottawa and they would agree: it was a classic.
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The U.S. jumped out to a three goal lead early in the opening period only to have Canada storm back to tie the game and then score a go-ahead goal early in the second period. Canada held on for a win that clinched first place in their division and a bye into the semi-finals on Saturday.
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John Tavares of the Oshawa Generals led the way again for Canada, scoring three goals, including an empty-netter that sealed the win late in the third period.
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“I kind of just said to the guys during a TV time-out ‘just relax and let’s go out and play our game out there’,” said Tavares, who tied Canada’s all-time record with his 11th goal in two tournaments. “Obviously I wanted to step up and make good plays and score goals. That’s what I’m counted on for.”
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Zach Boychuk of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Jordan Eberle of the Regina Pats, Cody Hodgson of the Brampton Battalion and Tyler Ennis of the Medicine Hat Tigers also scored and P.K. Subban of the Belleville Bulls had three assists in the win.
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“It was intense,” said Canadian coach Pat Quinn. “I think our team was over the edge a little bit early on. We got ourselves in trouble early with positioning and then execution. We were behind the eight ball fast (but) we recovered well and made a game of it.”
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Canada tightened up defensively in the second half of the game, holding the U.S. to nine shots on goal. Tavares and Ennis put in empty net goals to seal the win in front of a World Junior record 20,223 fans at ScotiaBank Place.
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“It wasn’t artistic, but it was full of emotion,” Quinn said. “It must have been a fun game to watch upstairs. I’m not sure I had much fun watching it but to watch both teams play like they did tonight – I guess that’s why junior hockey is what it is.”
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Dustin Tokarski of the Spokane Chiefs got his first start since Canada’s tournament-opening win against the Czech Republic on Boxing Day. He allowed three goals on the first eight shots on net but then shut the door in the Canadian goal. He made a pair of highlight-reel saves in the second period including a barrel roll stop and then made a glove save on Colin Wilson at point-blank range that maintained the Canadian lead.
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“To be a good goalie in any league, you’ve got to be able to put goals behind you,” Tokarski said. “We were down three nothing but we didn’t want to go down four nothing. We really buckled down and showed what a great character team we have.”
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With the win, Canada (4-0) clinches first place in the division and a bye into the semi-finals on Saturday. They will play the winner of the Russia-Czech quarter final while the U.S. will play Slovakia in the quarter final on Friday.
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World Junior Notebook – Teams receiving a bye into the semi-finals have been 15-5 in the semi-final game…Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires has joined Wade Redden as the top scoring 17-year-old defencemen in Team Canada history with five points. Redden did it in seven games while Ellis has seven points in three games so far this year…John Tavares of the Oshawa Generals now holds the Canadian record for powerplay goals in one tournament with eight.