Canada claims 20th World Junior gold after 3-2 win against Czechia | 24CA News
Canada obtained the revenge it desperately craved — and is golden once more on the world junior hockey championship.
Dylan Guenther scored his second objective of the night time at 6:22 of time beyond regulation because the event hosts survived a blown 2-0 lead within the third interval to defeat Czechia 3-2 within the last of the world junior hockey championship Thursday.
The Arizona Coyotes ahead took a cross from Joshua Roy on a 2-on-1 to offer 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 group to repeat for the reason that nation gained 5 straight gold medals between 2005 and 2009 after Connor Bedard and 7 different returnees additionally topped the pandemic-delayed summer time showcase in Edmonton.
Bedard was named event MVP.
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Jiri Kulich and Jakub Kos replied for Czechia. Tomas Suchanek stopped 35 pictures.
The Czechs beat a disjointed Canada for the primary time in 3,285 days after they picked up what was on the time a shocking 5-2 victory on Dec. 26, and appeared within the last for the primary time since their solely gold-medal triumphs in 2000 and 2001.
Czechia _ the nation generally often called the Czech Republic — completed fourth in the summertime and earned its first medal since 2005. The United States picked up a wild 8-7 time beyond regulation victory towards Sweden to take bronze.
Bedard, the Canadian phenom who rewrote web page after web page of each event and nationwide information guide in Halifax, was held off the scoresheet Thursday.
It didn’t matter.
The Czechs got here shut inside an ear-splitting Scotiabank Centre halfway by way of the primary interval when Gabriel Szturc hit the crossbar.
Unhappy with Czechia’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 group for the event together with Wright and Brandt Clarke, blasted a shot bar down for his sixth of the event at 12:41 earlier than the acquainted strains of “Heave Away” by The Fables rang across the rink washed in crimson and white.
Milic, who made 43 saves in a 6-2 semifinal victory over the Americans, was glorious once more because the interval wore on with stops on Kulich and Martin Rysavy.
Caedan Bankier almost 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 huge stops on Zack Ostapchuk and Logan Stankoven on separate one-on-one sequences earlier than Wright struck.
The No. 4 decide in final summer time’s NHL draft, who had an up-and-down event till Thursday, grabbed the puck within the impartial zone and fought off a defender earlier than stepping previous two extra and roofing a backhand shot upstairs on the shortside for his fourth at 4:35.
Wright watched each world junior last on his birthday rising up, and the gang responded after his objective by singing “Happy Birthday” for the Canadian captain.
Brennan Othmann, who turned 20 on Thursday, almost made it 3-0, however Suchanek made to huge pad stops on a person benefit.
Wright almost scored on a 2-on-1 halfway by way of the third on an opportunity that might have sealed it, however the Czechs lastly obtained on the board with 7:30 seconds left in regulation when Kulich pop a rebound off the submit residence.
Jakub Kos then tied it to stun the Canadians and the partisan crowd simply 54 seconds later after Clarke couldn’t clear the puck twice from his personal zone to power the additional interval.
Guenther then etched his title in world junior lore.
Projected to go No. 1 on the 2023 NHL draft, Bedard set a boatload of information within the Maritimes.
The scintillating 17-year-old from North Vancouver, B.C., Bedard owns the nationwide document with 23 all-time factors and 17 all-time objectives on the world juniors.
Bedard additionally established a brand new mark for probably the most factors by a Canadian in a single event with 23, owns the nationwide document with 14 assists at one occasion, and registered probably the most factors by a participant aged 18 or youthful.
Bedard’s 19 assists all-time are one wanting 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 event.
He’s additionally the primary participant in historical past to attain 4 objectives twice — doing it towards Austria this summer time 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 last.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
