OTTAWA | We must admit, Junior Team Canada is creative. The national team found another original way to dig its own grave, during the most important match of the preliminary round, Tuesday evening against the United States.
ÉCJ played better than against Latvia and Germany, but simply shot itself in the foot due to its indiscipline to lose 4-1 in the last match of the preliminary round.
However, it started well. ÉCJ was much more intense and played with more aggressiveness than in the matches against the Latvians and the Germans. Even though they had conceded the first goal, scored by Lane Hutson, the Canadians were in the game more than ever.
Then everything fell apart.
Costly indiscipline
It started with two penalties in quick succession to Carson Rehkopf, in the second period, he who had just obtained a promotion by being placed on the first line of the team with Calum Ritchie and Easton Cowan. Then there was chaos afterwards. The intensity and emotion turned into indiscipline for Canada.
For the Americans too, on a few occasions, but especially for Canada.
ÉCJ ended the match with a total of eight minor penalties, the majority decried by the crowd but, we tell you objectively, they were quite deserved… and unnecessary. Let’s think in particular of Sawyer Mynio’s double-check on Ryan Leonard which allowed the Americans to take a 2-1 lead or, even worse, that of Easton Cowan in the third period. With the United States up 2-1, he hit Aram Minnetian in the back after the latter had not had possession of the puck for several seconds.
And the United States took the opportunity to drive a devastating nail into the Canadian coffin.
“It’s something that Dave [Cameron] puts a lot of emphasis, assured defender Sam Dickinson, guilty of the penalty which allowed Cole Hutson to open the scoring in the first period. It ruins our momentum. We work really well at five against five but the penalties slow down what we are able to build during the match.
Another disappointment
Let’s be honest, the Canadians have had one disappointment after another since the start of the World Juniors. After a humiliating and historic defeat against Latvia, and an unconvincing victory against the Germans, here they are unable to contain their emotions in a match as important as that of Tuesday.
And no one seemed to pay for the indiscipline on Tuesday. Cowan was back on the ice even though his deliberate and unnecessary move allowed the Americans to make it 3-1.
“This tournament is too short to start benching players. Everyone takes penalties. Now it’s up to the players to decide. It’s a question of character.”
But the reality is that Canada is now the most punished team in the tournament, with a total of 29 minor penalties in four games, seven more than the second-place United States.
The Americans haven’t been perfect in this regard either. Ryan Leonard notably took a bad penalty at the very end of the second period which allowed the Canadians to create the tie through Bradly Nadeau, in the first minutes of the third period.
But they won the war of emotion, without a shadow of a doubt.
“When we saw what they were doing after the whistle, we tried not to respond and that’s why we had so many numerical advantages this evening,” admitted American striker Gabriel Perreault.
Against the Czechs
This defeat therefore makes the setback against Latvia on December 27 even more costly. ÉCJ finished third in Group B with a record of two wins and two losses, including one in a shootout, and will face the Czech Republic, second in Group B, in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
These same Czechs put an end to Canada’s run last year in the quarter-finals.
For their part, the Americans finished first in Group A and will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
