(Ottawa) Canada’s march to the penalty box began midway through the first period.
Posted at 7:19 a.m.
Joshua Clipperton
The Canadian Press
And it never really stopped.
This indiscipline cost the host country dearly on New Year’s Eve at the World Junior Hockey Championship.
Danny Nelson scored the deciding goal in the third period and Trey Augustine made 38 saves to lead the United States to a 4-1 victory over Canada on Tuesday.
The Canadiens allowed three goals on seven power plays on a frustrating evening.
I can’t talk to them about it, they know it. They know that penalties are penalties. They have to decide. It’s that simple.
head coach Dave Cameron
“It’s an individual thing, it’s a question of character,” continued Cameron, who liked his group’s play at even strength. They have to decide and I’m pretty sure they will. They hesitated and they really got screwed tonight. I think they learned their lesson. »
Cole Hutson, Cole Eiserman and Ryan Leonard, in an empty net, also moved the ropes for the Americans, who finished first in Group A.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Brandon Svoboda (8), goaltender Carter George (30) and Andrew Gibson (2)
“We’re not here to beat Canada tonight,” Augustine said. We are here to win the gold medal. »
Bradly Nadeau scored the only goal for the Canadians, who showed indiscipline throughout the match. The United States scored its first three goals with a man advantage. Carter George stopped 24 shots.
“We can say whatever we want,” Canadian captain Brayden Yager said of the penalties. But it won’t change anything unless we do something about it.
“We will be much better”
Canada, which finished fifth last year, will face the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The Americans will face Switzerland.
The other two quarter-finals will pit Sweden against Latvia and Finland against Slovakia.
Canada faced the United States in this same arena exactly 16 years ago, when John Tavares scored a memorable hat trick in a 7-4 victory. The Canadians would eventually win a fifth consecutive gold medal.
The Canadians opened the competition with a 4-0 victory over the Finns, but then lost 3-2 in a shootout to Latvia. They subsequently unconvincingly defeated Germany 3-0.
Dave Cameron’s squad took advantage of a power play at the start of the third period to tie the game 1-1, courtesy of Nadeau, who scored his first goal of the tournament with a one-timer.
Nelson, however, restored the lead to the United States a little more than two minutes later after accepting a pass from Hutson, who had opened the scoring in the first period with a perfect wrist shot.
Canada returned to the power play afterward and Gavin McKenna had the best chance to score, but his shot hit the post head-on.
Leonard hit the post in turn during another United States power play.
It was on the next numerical advantage that the Americans hurt the Canadians. Eiserman made a perfect shot to give his team a 3-1 lead with 6:39 left in the period.
Leonard completed the scoring with 1:52 to play and the American fans in the stands chanted “USA! USA! “.
“We got out of the game with all those penalties,” admitted McKenna. We dominated five against five. If we had stayed away from the penalty box, it was probably our game. »
If the Canadians don’t fix this problem, the same thing could happen in the quarterfinals and it would lead to another early elimination.
