IIHF Worlds Preview: Canada vs. Germany
Sam Montembeault turned in a 27-save efficiency as Canada downed Finland 4-1 to advance to the semifinals
TAMPERE, Finland – Canada’s National Men’s Team has booked its spot within the semifinals on the 2023 IIHF World Championship after defeating co-host Finland 4-1 at Nokia Arena on Thursday.
- Sammy Blais (Montmagny, Que./St. Louis, NHL) netted the eventual game-winner simply previous the halfway level of the second interval.
- Jack Quinn (Ottawa, Ont./Buffalo, NHL), Michael Carcone (Ajax, Ont./Tucson, AHL) and Tyler Toffoli (Scarborough, Ont./Calgary, NHL) rounded out the scoring.
- Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL), Jake Neighbours (Airdrie, Alta./St. Louis, NHL), Justin Barron (Halifax, N.S./Montréal, NHL), MacKenzie Weegar (Nepean, Ont./Calgary, NHL) and Jake Middleton (Stratford, Ont./Minnesota, NHL) chipped in with one help apiece.
- Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) was spectacular in aim, making 27 saves and incomes Player of the Game honours.
- Canada outshot Finland 31-28.
Next Game:
Canada vs. Latvia (semifinal) – Saturday, May 27 (7:20 a.m. ET/4:20 a.m. PT)
TSN and RDS, the official broadcast companions of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 video games, respectively; please test native listings for particulars.
Quotes:
“[Montembeault] made a lot of key saves for us. [Finland] had breakaways and grade-A chances, and Sam stood tall. He was our best player tonight, and when your goalie is playing that well, it is a good recipe for winning games.”
“We tried to play with speed on the forecheck to disrupt the Finns’ timing. They are so strong on pucks, they are heavy and protect the puck well. We wanted to be really aggressive when they had the puck and take possession away from them as quickly as possible. Finland possessed the puck a lot tonight, but I feel like we put them under pressure as soon as they touched the puck. Our penalty kill was also really good, and that was a key for us. [Finland] has some elite players, and we did a great job to contain them and kill those penalties.”
– Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on the play of Montembeault and getting the win
“Our team played great tonight, and you can see how much we have grown since the start of this tournament. We knew it was going to be a tight game today, and that third goal from Carcone was huge for us and it took some weight off our shoulders. We played a great third period and managed the puck really well.”
“This is a great group. Our goal coming into this tournament was to win a gold medal, and we knew we were going to have to work hard tonight to beat Finland in front of their fans. We are one step closer to our goal, and now we are looking forward to the semifinals.”
– Montembeault on the group’s efficiency and taking part in for a medal
“We need to keep doing what we have been doing the past two games. We need to be hard on the forecheck and stick to our systems. We have been playing well defensively and blocking a lot of shots, and we need to keep that up. We have a great goalie that we have a ton of confidence in, and we are going to bring our best game against Latvia.”
– Blais on going through Latvia within the semifinal
For extra info on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please go to HockeyCanada.ca, or observe alongside by way of social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and by utilizing #IIHFWorlds.
