Canada wins 2nd straight world junior hockey gold with 3-2 overtime victory over Czech Republic | CBC Sports

Canada bought the revenge it desperately craved — and is golden once more on the world junior hockey championship.

Dylan Guenther scored his second objective of the evening at 6:22 of time beyond regulation because the match hosts survived a blown 2-0 lead within the third interval to defeat the Czech Republic 3-2 within the remaining of the world junior hockey championship Thursday in Halifax.

The Arizona Coyotes ahead took a move from Joshua Roy on a 2-on-1 to provide his nation its twentieth title on the males’s under-20 occasion.

Shane Wright, on his nineteenth birthday, had the opposite objective for Canada. Thomas Milic made 24 saves.

Canada is the primary workforce to repeat for the reason that nation received 5 straight gold medals between 2005 and 2009 after Connor Bedard and 7 different returnees additionally topped the pandemic-delayed summer season showcase in Edmonton.

Bedard was named match MVP.

Jiri Kulich and Jakub Kos replied for the Czech Republic. Tomas Suchanek stopped 35 pictures.

The Czechs beat a disjointed Canada for the primary time in 3,285 days once they picked up what was on the time a surprising 5-2 victory on Dec. 26, and appeared within the remaining for the primary time since their solely gold-medal triumphs in 2000 and 2001.

Bedard, the Canadian phenom who rewrote web page after web page of each match and nationwide data e book in Halifax, was held off the scoresheet Thursday.

It did not matter.

The Czechs got here shut inside an ear-splitting Scotiabank Centre halfway by means of the primary interval when Gabriel Szturc hit the crossbar.

Unhappy with the Czech Republic’s exuberant celebrations following its Boxing Day victory, the Canadians made good on their first energy play.

Guenther, certainly one of three NHLers loaned to the nationwide workforce for the match together with Wright and Brandt Clarke, blasted a shot bar down for his sixth of the match at 12:41 earlier than the acquainted strains of “Heave Away” by The Fables rang across the rink washed in pink and white.

Milic, who made 43 saves in a 6-2 semifinal victory over the Americans, was wonderful once more because the interval wore on with stops on Kulich and Martin Rysavy.

Caedan Bankier practically made it 2-0 for Canada early within the second on a short-handed breakaway, however the objective was waved off for goalie interference after he crashed into Suchanek.

The Czech netminder then made large stops on Zack Ostapchuk and Logan Stankoven on separate one-on-one sequences earlier than Wright struck.

The No. 4 decide in final summer season’s NHL draft, who had an up-and-down match till Thursday, grabbed the puck within the impartial zone and fought off a defender earlier than stepping previous two extra and roofing a backhand upstairs on the shortside for his fourth at 4:35.

Wright watched each world junior remaining on his birthday rising up, and the group responded after his objective by singing “Happy Birthday” for the Canadian captain.

Brennan Othmann, who turned 20 on Thursday, practically made it 3-0, however Suchanek made to huge pad stops on a person benefit.

Wright practically scored on a 2-on-1 halfway by means of the third on an opportunity that will have sealed it, however the Czechs lastly bought on the board with 7:30 seconds left in regulation when Kulich pop a rebound off the put up dwelling.

Jakub Kos then tied it to stun the Canadians and the partisan crowd simply 54 seconds later after Clarke could not clear the puck twice from his personal zone to power the additional interval.

Guenther then etched his identify in world junior lore.

Projected to go No. 1 on the 2023 NHL draft, Bedard set a boatload of data within the Maritimes.

The scintillating 17-year-old from North Vancouver, B.C., Bedard owns the nationwide file with 23 all-time factors and 17 all-time targets on the world juniors.

Bedard’s 19 assists all-time are one in need of the nationwide mark held by Ryan Ellis, whereas he was some extent shy of tying Markus Naslund and Raimo Helminen for the second-most by a participant from any nation at a match.

He’s additionally the primary participant in historical past to attain 4 targets twice — doing it towards Austria this summer season and once more in Halifax.

Canada beat Slovakia 4-3 in time beyond regulation within the quarterfinals on Bedard’s jaw-dropping solo effort earlier than roaring again from a two-goal deficit to defeat the United States within the semis.

The Czechs walloped Switzerland within the quarters and scored late in regulation to arrange a 2-1 OT victory towards Sweden earlier than falling to the pre-tournament favourites within the remaining.