Captain Shane Wright said Canada were frustrated and did not play up to par in their loss to the Czech Republic on Boxing Day, a 5-2 tournament-opening defeat that marked the first loss of a World Junior Championship opener on home soil.
Now they have the best chance for payback.
Canada will play the Czech Republic in Thursday’s gold medal game in Halifax as they seek their second world junior title in just under five months.
Watch the finale at 6:00 pm ET/3:00 pm PT Thursday night LIVE on TSN Network, the TSN App and on TSN.ca.
Canada beat the United States 6-2 in their semifinal game on Wednesday night behind four points from Joshua Roy and a superb effort from goalie Tomas Milic, who allowed two quick goals but covered things well to stop 43 of 45 shots in the win. Milich was named player of the match and called the sweet serenade he received from the Scotiabank Center crowd “the coolest moment of my hockey career.”
“I think that’s exactly what I love. It’s something I’ve always carried with me since I was little. I love these high-pressure situations and as the tournament goes on, it just gets better and better here,” Milic said.
“I see him often. Obviously, I coach against him with the Seattle Thunderbirds, who he plays for, and I’ve seen it in him before. You know, obviously tonight he really elevated his game,” head coach Dennis Williams said.
The Americans gave up two goals due to goalie interference, one in the second frame and one in the third.
“I’d say I’m pretty disappointed with the two disallowed goals, but I’m not going to comment on the refereeing, other than you know you’ve got 18, 19-year-old kids in that environment and you’ve got two. That’s certainly a huge part of the game. But I will not comment on the officials. Head officials can handle that,” said USA head coach Rand Pecknold.
Joshua Roy had two goals and two assists in the win, while Logan Stankoven, Brand Clark, Adam Fantilly and Connor Bedard each had two points.
Speaking of Bedard, Canada probably wouldn’t be in Thursday’s final if the 17-year-old Regina Pats star hadn’t taken matters into her own hands and Canada’s 4-3 overtime win over Slovakia in Monday’s quarterfinals.
Already with a goal and an assist on the night, Bedard broke through the defense and scored his most beautiful goal of the tournament to end the Slovakian threat and avoid a major upset for Canada in the quarters.
“I couldn’t score on a shot, so I had to do something,” Bedard said of the winner.
“To hear [the crowd], it darkens you a bit. But even after the goal the crowd was so loud I thought I was going deaf or something. So it was pretty crazy.”
The projected top pick in next summer’s NHL Draft, Bedard has the all-time goals (17) and points (36) by a Canadian at the event and also holds the record for points (23) in a single tournament by a Canadian player. Bedard is also one goal shy of the Canadian single-tournament record held by John Anderson and Dale McCourt with 10.
Canada made headlines by attempting a lacrosse-style kick – often referred to as Michigan – twice in the first period of its Boxing Day loss.
“We’re not going to Michigan on our way to the finals,” Arizona Coyotes wing Dylan Guenther said. “We try hard. It’s a skill game, I get that, but I think that’s how our game is going right now. We’re trying to make our way through it. guys 1v1 and to win you have to play the right way, play together and play as a team.”
But Canada appeared to have learned from the setback, closing out the round-robin stage with three lopsided victories before a win over Slovakia on Monday and a win over the U.S. on Wednesday in the medal round.
Not that the stakes could get any higher, but it looks like Canada is coming in with a chip on its shoulder.
“Well, that’s how they reacted after the game when they won. I mean, they were pretty cocky, I’ll say. So we won’t forget that … They celebrated like they won the gold medal,” Roy said.
“One more thing. It’s all about emptying the tank tomorrow. Let’s do it for each other,” Williams said.
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