U-17 World Hockey Challenge Roundup: Finland, USA, victorious with round robin heating up
Finland routs Sweden
In a battle between two rivals, Finland managed to beat Sweden by a score of 6-3 to put themselves in a strong position for the medal round.
Finland moved safely into second place with nine points, cemented further by Canada Black’s loss to the United States. Sweden now sits fifth behind Canada Red, but they’re still in contention to play for a medal with only a few days left to go.
The first period was fast and furious, with three getting scored in under two minutes. Joona Saarelainen got the fun started at 4:57 after taking Roope Vesterinen’s feed and quickly tapping it in for the 1-0 goal.
Just 33 seconds later, Karl Sterner answered back with a tight-angle shot, somehow finding an opening past Petteri Rimpinen to it up. But at 6:38, Julis Miettinen scored on his own lousy angle, finding a slight opening near Hugo Laring’s left pad to restore Finland’s advantage.
The Swedes struggled to get quality scoring chances on net, while the Finns took advantage of what they had. At 16:13, Emil Hemming’s hot made it past the Swedish netminder to make it 3-1. Then, just 1:31 into the second, Akseli Pulkkanen, who helped set up the first Finnish goal, made it 4-1 to put the game out of reach. Anton Olsson and Oscar Davidsson both scored for the Swedes in the final 22 minutes of play, but two goals from Roope Vesterinen sealed the deal for the Finns.
USA beats depleted Canada Black team
The United States has moved to 5-0-0-0 with a convincing 6-1 win over Canada Black on Tuesday evening.
Canada Black didn’t have Macklin Celebrini or Malcolm Spence – two of the team’s top forwards – as the squad has dealt with health issues throughout the tournament.
The Americans got on the board early with a shorthanded goal at 3:27. Kamil Bednarik beat Ryerson Leenders with a low shot he couldn’t get a handle on, giving USA the early advantage. Teddy Stiga then doubled the advantage at 13:46 after converting on a good passing play between Max Plante and John Whipple.
James Hagens entered with a tournament-leading 12 points and he was able to build upon that at 27:32. After Cole Eiserman forced a turnover, Hagens went 1-on-1 with Leenders. But after originally getting stopped, he banged home a rebound to make it 3-0 USA. Lucas Van Vilet finished off the period with a nice goal of his own with 1:23 left in the second, making it 4-0. Thomas Desruisseaux would score off a chance created by a lucky bounce at 46:55, but Brodie Ziemer’s goal five minutes later and Hagens’ second of the night gave Canada very little to celebrate.
Canada White avoids collapse with OT win over Czechia
It wasn’t easy, but Canada White managed to hold on for their first win of the tournament after beating Czechia 6-5 in overtime.
It was a big bounce-back for the Czechs, who had just two goals in the first three games. Canada White now has three points, while the Czechs sit last with one, with both teams now having completed four games.
Canada White managed to strike first in a wild six-goal first period. Jack Van Volsen made it 1-0 at 3:26 scored on the rebound after Justin Carbonneau was stopped on the original chance.
The lead lasted four just under four minutes. Adam Titlbach passed the puck from just above his own goal line to set up Adam Martin Hlinsky on the rush. He found Adam Titlbach near the Canadian net and backhanded it over Madden Mulawka for the 1-1 goal. Adam Jiricek then gave Czechia its first lead at 15:57, just before a late-period barrage by Canada.
Cayden Lindstrom (power play), Ryder Ritchie and Spencer Gill all scored for Canada in the final three minutes to give Canada the 4-2 lead, an advantage that seemed safe giving Czechia’s struggles in the tournament.
The Czechs swapped Adam Ebenstreit for Jakub Milota in net for the second, and it seemed to give the team a bit of life. At 30:25, Ondrej Kos’ harmless-looking shot flew past the Canadian netminder and in for the 4-3 goal.
But just 22 seconds later, Bill Zonnon found the loose puck after Miguel Marques came short on a chance in close to make it 5-3 Czechia. Before long, though, the Czechs found themselves tied at five. Lukas Kral scored with under seven minutes to go in the second, and then Adam Jecho knotted it up at five at 44:10.
The game required overtime, and it didn’t last long. Just over a minute into the extra frame, Canadian defenseman Henry Mews – who had just left the box from a late-third tripping penalty – forced a turnover before creating his own breakaway. He made no mistake on a top-corner wrist shot, scoring the game-winning goal after Canada had surrendered multiple leads.
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Three Stars
- Roope Vesterinen, F (Finland): Vesterinen has made himself a star in Langley, and a three-point performance helped put him fifth in tournament scoring with seven.
- James Hagens, F (USA): Once again, an obvious choice. With two goals tonight, he’s up to 14 points in five games. Colin White (18P in 2013) has the tournament record.
- Ondrej Kos, F (Czechia): His goal helped change the course of the game for the Czechs. He finished with three points.