The quarter-finals of the World Junior Hockey Championship took place today in Ottawa. The top two teams in each group after the preliminary round, Sweden and the United States, qualified this afternoon for the semi-finals, while the matches between Czechia and Canada as well as Finland and Finland Slovakia took place later in the evening. Here is a summary of the matches played in the evening:
Finland 5 – Slovakia 3
This match, between two European rivals, promised to be vigorously contested, and we were not disappointed. In the first half, the least we can say is that the Finns were opportunistic. Despite a very limited number of scoring chances, they managed to score three goals. The third goal chased Slovak goalkeeper Alan Lendak out of the game, giving way to Samuel Urban. Jesse Kiiskinen notably stood out with a goal and an assist.
In the second period, the Slovaks took advantage of a 5-minute numerical advantage, which allowed Juraj Pekarcic to score a goal and reduce the gap. However, towards the end of the period, Rasmus Kumpulainen restored the Finns’ three-goal lead. In the third period, Slovakia cut the score to 4-3, but Jesse Nurmi scored his second goal of the match, sealing the fate of their rivals and propelling Finland into the semi-finals. In short, although Slovakia dominated 36-18 in shots, it was not enough.
Czechia 4- Canada 3
In this clash which was to be the redemption match for Canada, it was rather the Czech Republic which started the match strong, opening the scoring after only 43 seconds of play in the first period. During a numerical disadvantage, while Cole Beaudoin received a 5-minute penalty, Tanner Howe created the tie thanks to a nice pass from Brayden Yager. Shortly after, the Czechs took advantage of the same numerical advantage to regain the lead. 3 seconds from the end of the period, Eduard Šalé threw a cold shower on the Canadian fans by beating goalkeeper Carter George.
After a good start to the period, Canada experienced a long sequence during which it was unconvincing in its actions and executions. The Unifolié finally took advantage of a numerical advantage when Porter Martone deflected Tanner Molendyk’s shot, reducing the gap to 3-2. At the start of the third period, the Canadians dominated, without however generating any truly threatening chances. Bradly Nadeau, well positioned in front of the net, gave the nation hope by creating the tie. However, Andrew Gibson put his team in a difficult situation by taking a penalty for a knee strike, giving the Czechs a numerical advantage. At 5 against 4, Adam Jecho put an end to Canadian hopes by scoring the winning goal.
What we saw from Canada in the third period, we saw too little throughout this tournament. An aggressive forecheck, speed of execution and constant threats in the offensive zone: this is what could have made this edition of Canada a real contender for the gold medal. However, it was indiscipline that cost the Canadian players dearly throughout the tournament, leading to the team’s downfall. This is therefore a second consecutive elimination in the quarter-finals for Canada. More than ever – although this was already the observation last year – a profound questioning is necessary.
Whether it is the selection of players or the management of the workforce on site, we must admit that the leaders were deeply mistaken. After a preliminary round where the team performed below expectations, Canada was unable to get back on track and had to fold. We can therefore say that this 2025 edition of Junior Team Canada will remain one of the biggest disappointments for Canadian hockey in many years.
