Canada Perfect in the group stage with a win over Sweden
Canada finished their group stage with a 3-0 win over Sweden, which was their toughest test yet and one they handled well. The Canadians controlled most of the game and limited the Swedes to only 18 to 60 minutes.
Initially, it looked like the hosts were on their way to another comfortable victory when Callum Ritchie scored just three and a half minutes into the game. Ritchie found some space in front of the net and hit the gap and fired the puck past the goalie to make it 1-0. His shot took a lucky bounce that deflected off a defender’s stick and over Eric Olsson, who was making his first tournament start. Zach Benson had a great chance to make it 2-0, but a good recovery from the Swedish defender prevented anything serious from happening.
The second period was when Canada put the dagger in their opponent. Benson found redemption by backhanding Olsson to double the Canadian’s lead, marking the first time the first line had been linked as they had against Switzerland and Slovakia. Brayden Yager scored his fourth of the tournament later on the power play.
There was nothing else to report on the stat sheet other than a few penalties. Saige Weinstein made a great diving play to stop a Swedish forward on a breakaway. But with the way Scott Ratzlaff played, you might have been better off putting your money on him rather than the shooter. Ratzlaff put in another excellent performance in goal for Canada and is yet to concede. Sweden kept him busy with some big chances, but the Seattle Thunderbirds netminder closed the door. The visitors had a great chance, which could have changed the game completely. Otto Stenberg fired a shot off both the post and crossbar on the power play and at that point it was still just 1-0 to Canada.
Some unfortunate news for Canada was that Tanner Molendyk left the game in the second period and did not return. Hopefully the injury wasn’t too serious, and with a day off now until the semifinals, he’ll be able to return to the lineup.
Takeaways
- Sweden was easily Canada’s toughest test so far in the tournament, and they rarely threatened them. Stenberg’s chance at the frame was by far the best, but other than that, Canada did a good job of limiting them.
- Matthew Wood was a standout performer last night. He was kept off target, but he did an excellent job of creating offense by using his size to give himself and his teammates better opportunities. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for the BCHL rookie of the year.
- Cameron Allen raised his game against a tougher opponent, which was extremely noticeable. He neutralized Stenberg, Sweden’s best forward, throughout the match making him a non-threat. The only time Stenberg sniffed the net was when Allen was in the box. He is incredibly composed with and without the puck, and he broke up every play that came his way. He really stood out from everyone else on the ice.
- The front line of Brayden Yager, Ethan Gauthier and Zach Benson was quiet for Canada, but they scored two huge goals for the team, which is exactly why they are in Red Deer. Big players make big plays, and that’s who they are and what they did.
- Shoutout to Jacob Sagadin, who blocked three shots in one shift and then got hit hard by Denver Barkey, all in the same shift. Sagadin even had Gord Miller asking the Canadiens to stop shooting his way after the third block.
- Speaking of Barkey, while the hit against Sagadin wasn’t a great look by any means, any coach would love to have him on their team. His work ethic is endless, and every time he’s on the ice he tries to make something happen. Barkey’s style is infectious.
Quote about posts of games
*quote from Hockey Canada website
“Tonight was a big challenge for us. This was a physical game and we had to earn it. We blocked some shots and I felt as the game went on we got more pucks to the net and a bigger presence in the net. I’m very happy for this group and I’m proud of the work ethic we showed, says head coach Stéphane Julien
“We fought hard tonight. Sweden gave us the toughest test of the tournament so far and I think we responded well. We played hard, blocked some shots, (Scott) Ratzlaff was excellent and we’re looking forward to the semi-finals,” said Calum Ritchie
“We did a good job tonight. Sweden is a good team and we had to earn this. We played the full sixty minutes, our goalie played a hell of a game and our penalty killers didn’t give anything up. When your killing is as good as ours where tonight, you will win many matches“, Brayden Yager said
Next up
Canada has today off and is back in action tomorrow against Finland. The Finns finished 2-0-1 in group play with wins over the USA and Germany and an overtime loss to the Czech Republic. The puck drops at 5pm on Friday night as Canada looks to claim another gold medal.
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