OTTAWA – Ryan Leonard knows very well what awaits his team at the Canadian Tire Center on Tuesday.
The captain of the American formation saw snow. He noticed that the crowd had been hostile towards his team since the start of the World Junior Championship. The situation is unlikely to improve when he and his teammates compete against Canada, in the federal capital, before the transition to 2025.
Especially since first place in Group A will be at stake.
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“It will be cool, especially on Canadian soil,” said the Washington Capitals prospect. “The world is against us. We saw it clearly in the other clashes, but it will be one more step against Canada. It will be a fun game to play and we have to enjoy the moment. »
Germany, Latvia and Finland all benefited from the support of Canadian fans when they faced the United States. There were loud cries of encouragement for each of these nations, even for Latvia, the day after the monumental upset they caused by defeating the local favorites.
The eternal rivals from south of the border are enemies number one. And nothing can change that.
“When the tournament is in Canada, it’s always like that,” laughed forward Jacob Perreault. It was the same last year in Sweden – the crowd was all in yellow. Here, there will only be red. It will be a good match and the atmosphere will be very good. »
“There is nothing different compared to last year,” argued defender Zeev Buium. They hated us there too. Honestly, we like playing villains. »
It’s true that Americans are used to playing in unfriendly environments. That didn’t stop them from winning gold with a 6-2 victory against Sweden in a noisy Scandinavium last year in Gothenburg.
“Ultimately, we have to use it to our advantage,” said Leonard, who was part of this champion edition. “The crowd will not be silent unless we do something to silence it. We must block out the noise until we take control of the amphitheater and the match.
“We will try to do that as soon as possible and continue this momentum for the rest of the meeting. »
This summit clash has a rather special and unpredictable flavor this year.
Many would have bet that both teams would reach this final stage of the preliminary round without too many problems and that they would have immaculate records after three games. Canada, however, stumbled in a shootout against Latvia, and the United States lost in overtime to Finland.
Canada and the United States have seven points each, and the loser of this match is in danger of finishing third in the group – should Finland win against Latvia. That would mean a quarter-final duel against the loser of Sweden’s clash with Czechia. Less convenient.
“I think all the guys are frustrated with the result against Finland,” Leonard warned. We have the chance to play for first place against Canada. Everything is still possible. We will be ready for the challenge. »
At the antipodes
The two powers therefore have the same record (2-0-1-0). But the comparisons stop there.
The Americans’ attack is working well – they have scored 18 goals, including 10 against Germany. Defensively, it’s a little more suspect. They had all the trouble in the world leaving their territory against Finland, and goalkeeper Trey Augustine is not a shadow of himself. His mitt just seems defective.
The one who concluded the last tournament with the best goals against average and the best efficiency rate has an average of 3.94 and an efficiency of .879 in two starts.
“We need to see more from several guys,” warned coach David Carle. You have to play firmer and get physically involved. Our pressure on the puck is not good enough. »
Canada’s attack is running out of fuel. Since scoring three even-strength goals against Finland in the tournament opener, no attacker has managed to do so against Latvia or Germany – two nations the Canadians should have disposed of easily.
On the other hand, the Canadian brigade has still not given in on equal strength. It allowed only two goals – if we exclude the one scored by Latvia in the shootout – and Carter George signed two shutouts.
It will therefore be a duel between the American attack and the Canadian defense. We’ll see who has the upper hand.
“They make a good team,” summed up Carle, without elaborating. They have a lot of good players. Good coaches. It will be a big match. »
