Team Canada looking strong! Team Canada’s strong start in the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship

BY MARCEL MARIAK

The IIHF World Junior Championships are underway in the Czech Republic, and Team Canada is looking like a serious competitor to take home the gold! Team Canada started strong in their first game on December 26th, with a close 6-4 win over the USA.

Despite their promising start, Canada went on to suffer their worst loss in World Juniors history with a 6-0 finish against Russia only 48 hours later. To make matters worse, Canada lost not only the game but two of their star players, Alexis Lafreniere and Joe Veleno. Lafreniere went down in the second period after twisting his leg while colliding with the Russian goalie, while Veleno was suspended for a game following a headbutt in the first period. The Russians used the unfortunate injury to their advantage, almost completely shutting Canada down for the rest of the game and leaving Canadian fans in dismay.

Moving into their third game only two days after the embarrassing defeat, Canada was set to face off against Germany. Going into the game after a serious loss and missing two of its best players, the odds for Team Canada to make a comeback were slim. Nevertheless, supporters gathered to cheer on Canada as the skaters hit the ice.

From the first drop of the puck, one thing was clear: Team Canada was prepared for war! Canada put immense pressure on the Germans, getting superior puck control and multiple shots on goal, while Germany held on for dear life. Team Canada’s Nolan Foote opened up the scoring half-way into the first period with a lightning-fast rebound to put Canada in the lead until the end of the period. The Germans had very little response to the Canadian efforts, barely putting any pressure on the Canadian defensive line and leaving most of their defense to their goaltender. Going into the second period, Germany seemed to regain its spark, putting substantial pressure on the Canadians. Unfortunately for the Germans, they simply could not get the puck past Hofer, the Canadian goalie; with him shutting down multiple attacks as well as a breakaway. The Canadians weren’t satisfied with only one goal on the board, with Foudy putting away a precise wrist-shot, and Addison following up minutes later during a two-man power-play. In the third period, the Germans were more determined than ever to regain control of the game. They put considerable pressure on the Canadian defense with multiple attacks, and finally managed to score off of a sharp one-timer. Unfortunately for the German team, their goal came too late in the game. They were forced to pull their goalie in an attempt to make a comeback, and the Canadians quickly exploited the undefended goal, with Dellandrea tapping the puck into the net to dispatch the hopes of a German comeback.

While the entire Canadian team put on a spectacular performance, one player stood out as the main contributor to the Canadian victory: the goalie, Joel Hofer. He made 18 saves to stop the German offensive and was recognized as the first star of the game for his efforts. Hofer wasn’t keen to take all of the credit though, recognizing his teammates as a huge contributing factor to the win, “All of us took a look in the mirror. Guys stepped up big”. His successful performance gave Hofer a new sense of confidence, “If I get the call, I’ll be ready,” he stated.

If Canada can keep up this level of performance for the duration of the competition, they will surely be a force to be reckoned with; and they might even be able to seize the championship trophy!