Men’s Worlds Preview: Canada vs. Kazakhstan

Game stats: Canada 3, Finland 2 (OT)

Riga-Nickpole, Latvia (Mississauga / Ottawa, Ontario, NHL) taps a cross-crease feed from Connor Brown (Toronto / Ottawa, Ontario, NHL) at 6:26 and gives it to Canada’s National Men’s Team. rice field. He defeated Finland 3-2 on Sunday and won the gold medal at the 2021 IIHF World Championship.

This is the 27th time Canada has been on the podium in the world, including six Olympic gold medals, which were also counted as world titles between 1920 and 1952.

None of the first 26 were so unlikely. Two weeks ago, after losing to Germany 3-1 and falling to 0-3, no one gave the Canadians a chance to play in the quarterfinals.

However, as Canada had to sneak into the playoff round, the stars lined up, ending the hope that the Finns would repeat as world champions after knocking out the ROC and US group winners in the semifinals and semifinals respectively. ..

“We got together as a group,” Paul said of how the team turned the page. “People counted us, [but] We knew we would work hard together and eventually take it. It was closer than I expected, but it was an incredibly fierce match. I’m very proud now. ”

In the extra period, Paul started playing when he intercepted the pass from the lost showdown to the Blue Line, sending him and Brown 2-1. Brown collected Paul’s passes and sent them back to the surface of the net. Paul, as the only Canadian to score a gold medal overtime goal, had to turn to an empty goal to participate in Anson Carter (2003). tournament.

Nick Paul with a golden goal @hockeycanada!!! ??? #FINCAN #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/YUhhRx7Rl7

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) June 6, 2021

Brown has set all three goals of victory. He finished with 16 points as the tournament scoring leader, and his 14 assists were the most Canadian in a single world championship and the second most in history in Thailand.

As expected, the attack was very important. Both teams managed only eight shots with the goalkeeper in the first period and only one got behind the net. Just seconds after Finland’s power play ended, Michael Ruohoma knocked down a shot from Oliwer Kaski and defeated it. Canadian goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan / Arizona, NHL).

Canada gained a male advantage early in the second phase as Maxime Comtois (Longueuil, Que./Anaheim, NHL) played the Follow the Bounce Pack. After a long-distance wrist shot from Brown rang again from the post, Kontowa’s chest, Mika Koivist’s legs, Kontowa’s skates, and the post, he knocked it over Yuho Orkinuora to 1-1. Did.

Adam Henrique (Burford / Anaheim, Ontario, NHL) thought he gave Canada the first lead in the second half of the middle frame when he filled Brown’s rebound from the rush, but Owen Power (Mississauga, Ontario / Michigan University, Big Ten) was determined to be inch offside and the game even went for a break.

Instead, it was the Finns who went again at the beginning of the third term. As the Canadians scrambled a bit in their zone, Petterlind Baume stepped in, passed a wrist shot through the screen, passed Kaempfer’s glove and scored a 2-1 goal.

However, seven minutes later, Henrique succeeded in another Canadian power play, transforming his own rebound after a smooth no-look from Comtois, an inter-leg feed, tying the game and forcing overtime. ..

We are tied again! Adam Enrique. 2-2. ??? #FINCAN #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/3ss9IYmfWp

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) June 6, 2021

Both goalkeepers include Orkinuora, who saves the stick-to-skate stick-to-stick move from Andrew Manjapane (Bolton, Calgary, Ontario, NHL) early in the 3 to 3 addition period in just seconds. , Made a big stop.

Following the game, Manjapane was selected as the Tournament MVP. He scored seven goals in seven games, including four game winners. Two of them won the quarterfinals and the semifinals. He also won the spot for the Media All-Star team.