WJC 2016 Day 4 Recap
Tuesday December 29, 2015
Canada and Russia took victories on Day 4 of the 2016 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Helsinki, Finland.
The Russians defeated Belarus while Canada narrowly edged Switzerland in a shootout.
Here’s a look at both matchups.
CANADA 3, SWITZERLAND 2 SO
Canada narrowly escaped defeat on Tuesday, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to defeat Switzerland in a shootout 3-2.
Brayden Point (Moose Jaw Warriors) and Mathew Barzal (Seattle Thunderbirds) scored in the shootout for Canada while goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (Barrie Colts) stood tall in his tournament debut, denying all three shooters he faced.
Florida Panthers prospect Lawson Crouse (Kingston Frontenacs) had a pair of assists in the victory while Dylan Strome (Erie Otters) and Joe Hicketts (Victoria Royals) found the back of the net.
Switzerland received first period markers from Damien Riat and Dario Meyer (Edmonton Oil Kings) while goaltender Joren van Pottelberghe made 32 saves in the loss. The Swiss gained their first point of the tournament by advancing to overtime, recording their first point against Canada in the history of the tournament.
Sitting at 2-1 in the tournament, Canada squares off with Sweden on Thursday while Switzerland takes on the United States on Wednesday.
RUSSIA 4, BELARUS 1
Russia improved to 3-0 as Alexander Polunin scored twice in a 4-1 win over Belarus.
Cape Breton Screaming Eagles forward Maxim Lazarev pulled to within one point of the tournament scoring lead with a goal and an assist while Ivan Provorov (Brandon Wheat Kings) also notched an assist and Vladislav Kamenev had a goal and a helper.
The Russians outshot Belarus 32-18. They wrap up the preliminary round on Thursday against Slovakia.
For full coverage of the 2016 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships, including updates and schedules, visit worldjunior2016.com or hockeycanada.ca.
