World Junior Roundup: Czech Republic, USA, Sweden, Switzerland come out on top
Czech Republic stuns Canada with victory
The Czech Republic took advantage of numerous Canadian mistakes to reel off a 5-2 rout on Monday to end Day 1 play in Halifax.
The Czechs had an early goal waved off due to goalie interference, but they were unable to capitalize on the momentum. At 10:33, Shane Wright tipped Olen Zellweger’s point shot past Tomas Suchanek for the 1-0 goal, stealing the momentum. Brandt Clarke scored a few minutes later, but that too was ruled out due to Joshua Roy being offside.
From there the Czechs took over. At 17:48, Stanislav Svozil found a crashing David Spacek to make it 1-1, with defender David Moravec scoring less than a minute later to give the Czechs the advantage.
The highlight of the first, however, was Canada’s two failed lacrosse goal attempts. First, Adam Fantilli went for it, only for Spacek to knock the puck off his stick and out of harm’s way. Then Bedard’s effort was stopped after Suchanek covered the top left corner perfectly and kept it out.
A goal by Svozil just 44 seconds into the second put the Czech Republic up by two, but not for long. Connor Bedard would get his first of the tournament when his release beat Suchanek over the glove to make it 3-2, keeping the game close.
An abuse of the game for head contact with Zach Dean early in the second sent the Canadiens spiraling. At 28:14, David Jiricek found Jaroslav Chmelar standing in front and he made no mistake as he whipped it out of the air and past Benjamin Gaudreau. Just 33 seconds later, Matous Mensik beat Gaudreau with a tough angle shot, giving the Czech Republic a 5-2 lead.
Canada peppered the goalkeeper with chances, but the star of the 2022 tournament stood firm. He made 36 stops in total to surpass the goalkeeping duo of Gaudreau and Milic, with Milic stopping every shot sent his way.
USA stops Latvia despite tight first half
It was a little closer than they probably expected, but the USA opened Group B action with a 5-2 victory over Latvia in Moncton.
The first period had nothing to show for it, although USA’s Tyler Boucher came close late in the frame. The Americans still took a 1-0 lead with an early goal in the second period, with Jimmy Snuggerud tapping in a loose puck to end the shutout.
But just four minutes later, the Latvians answered back. Rainers Rullers was able to suck Luke Hughes out of position before finding Anri Ravinskis, who slotted the shot past 2023 draft prospect Trey Augustine for the 1-1 goal.
The Americans regained their advantage five minutes later when Sean Behren’s shot from the point went through traffic and beat Patriks Berzins, giving the U.S. the upper hand back in a game that definitely felt close.
Latvia didn’t shoot much, but at least they made their shots count. On the team’s second shot of the middle stanza, 2023 NHL Draft prospect Nils Fenenko used a heavy screen in front of the American net to tie it up at 34:24.
Another early period gave the Americans another advantage. This time, Chaz Lucius, a Winnipeg Jets prospect, took a feed from Jackson Blake and backhanded the puck over Berzins to make it 3-2, restoring the team’s one-goal lead. A Red Savage goal a few minutes later gave the USA its first two-goal lead, making it 4-2. Hughes made a long shot from the blue line later to end the game, giving the USA some relief after a tight start.
Sweden crushes Austria in the tournament’s first blowout
After ending pre-tournament play with a disappointing loss to Switzerland, Sweden kicked off the main tournament with a massive 11-0 win over Austria.
Sweden has won all four meetings between the two teams, including 6-0 in the summer tournament. Austria have not scored against Sweden since the first meeting between the two nations, a 7-3 loss at the 2010 tournament.
The Austrians got good goalkeeping from Thomas Pfarrmaier in the first, who made an early highlight save on Filip Bystedt. But at 13:17, Isak Rosen scored on a 2-on-1 opportunity where he hinted at making a pass before beating Pfarrmaier for the 1-0 goal. Four minutes later, Rosen set up Bystedt for an opportunity he wouldn’t miss, giving Sweden a 2-0 lead in the first.
From there, the significantly stronger Swedes took full control. The team had six goals on just 13 shots in the second, with Rosen scoring his second of the night and third point of the game just 48 seconds in.
Two minutes later, Simon Robertsson scored from an Elias Pettersson feed and got the puck past traffic. Milton Oscarson scored a shorthanded goal five minutes after that before Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Liam Ohgren and Calle Odelius added goals to make it 8-0.
Odelius scored early in the third before Bystedt made it another 10-0. Fourth lineman Oscar Pettersson made it 11-0 with about seven minutes remaining to give Sweden more goals than Austria had shots, and finished at 11-0.
Attilio Biasca scores as Switzerland stun Finland
It only took one match, but the 2023 World Juniors got their first shock of the tournament, as Switzerland beat Finland 3-2 in overtime in Moncton.
Switzerland last beat Finland on December 31, 2019, a 5-2 victory for the tough underdogs. Their last win before that came at the 2014 tournament in a shootout.
The first period was nothing to write home about, with both teams taking a really neutral stance. That all changed at 22:24 when an inopportune pinch by Switzerland’s defense saw Sami Paivarinta and Kalle Vaisanen both touch the puck before Konsta Kapanen scored on the rebound.
Despite the deficit, the Swiss definitely looked the better team and kept the pressure. It eventually paid off when Lenni Hameenaho gave the puck away in front of the Finnish net. Lorenzo Canonica was there to capitalize, making it 1-1 with just under eight minutes remaining in the second.
The Swiss started strong in the third, coming in with a 16-9 shot advantage. At 44:43, Jeremy Jabola was the last to touch a Mats Alge shot that was lost in a crowd in front of the Finnish net, giving Switzerland its first lead of the tournament. It was short-lived, however, as Vaisanen’s snipe at 48:09 forced the game into overtime.
It didn’t take long for the Swiss to end the match. Just 41 seconds into overtime after Lian Bichsel was stopped on a breakaway, Halifax Mooseheads star Attilio Biasca was in the right place at the right time to rip a shot past Aku Koskenvuo, sealing the shock victory for Switzerland.
Three stars
- Filip Bystedt, F (SWE): It seemed that every time Bystedt hit the ice, the Swedes created offense. With two goals and an assist, he was a big part of that.
- Tomas Suchanek, G (CZE): David Jiricek and Stanislav Svozil also deserve some credit, but Suchanek was rock solid for the Czechs when Canada began to press.
- Isak Rosen, F (SWE): Same stat line as Bystedt, and almost unstoppable on the rush in the first half against Sweden. There are high hopes for him this year.