FINLAND 5 CANADA 1 (SEMIFINAL)
MALMO, Sweden (CP) – Canada will go without a gold medal at the world junior championship for a fifth consecutive year.
Frustrated by a dogged defensive team and drawn into individualistic play and bad penalties, Canada was beaten 5-1 by Finland in the semifinals on Saturday.
Canada will play for bronze on Sunday against Russia, which lost 2-1 to host Sweden in a game that ended in a brawl. Canada lost the bronze-medal game to the Russians last year in Ufa to end a run of 14 years of finishing in the top three.
It marked the first regulation time loss for coach Brent Sutter in three world junior tournaments, having won gold without dropping a game in 2005 and 2006. This year’s squad had lost a game in a shootout to the Czech Republic in the preliminary round.
He was at a loss to explain why his team fell short.
“It seemed we froze in the moment,” he said. “We never executed our game plan.
“We knew how they were going to play and what they were going to do in the neutral zone and we refused to get pucks into the areas we needed to. We played too much one-on-one hockey and when that happens, your game gets off track.”
Sutter is aware of the criticism that awaits from disappointed fans, but said the world juniors has become a tougher tournament to win since he last coached Canada’s team.
The fact that Canada sent its second youngest team ever to the tournament, older only than the 1987 team that was disqualified for a bench-clearing brawl with the Soviet Union, didn’t help.
This year’s team wasn’t expected to dominate, although it has 11 players eligible to return for next year’s event in Montreal and Toronto who gained valuable experience.
“Russia’s got a heck of a team and they got beat too,”said Sutter. “They’ve got a pile of 19-year-olds and they lost. You’ve got two good teams playing for bronze and two teams moving on.
“It’s redemption. It’s a chance to get back at them for last year in the bronze medal game, so let’s see what happens. We’ve got to make sure we treat this professionally and handle it the right way.”
In an earlier comment column I had posted that I thought that in this tournament Canada was at best the 3rd or 4th best team. I was called a hater for that the next day. 🙂 I guess when you give an honest and intelligent comment you are a hater not a homer. I may be a hater to one,but you know what I was also right.
Hear Hear ! At least you got your comment posted. Lots of haters, and "homers" on here who can't appreciate honest forward point comment or their just incapable of discerning Intelligence when it's right in front of them in print.
T. Tear'a' line'in
Finland.
Let me guess, you're also one of those Rider fans who waits for the team to struggle, and then says "See? I told you Durante (sic) was no good!"?
Good for you. You're not a loser at all.
Zeke
Riders? Rider fan? Never !!!! Durante? Zeke?
Was on the road today. Would have bee nice if the game was carried on the radio. Rod, maybe CKRM could pick up World Juniors now that Golden Worst Radio in Moose Jaw isn't playing them anymore.
I agree with Anon #1. Unless you drink Canada koolaid don't post. Well BS. There isn't always "hate" just one persons opinion. We are still a free country. So, we lost, the sun will come up, and next year the boys will try again. It may be the same result in Sochii so get out the kleenex.
Canadian style hockey does not work on European ice. "Finish your check" yeh right the puck is forty feet away but take yourself out of the play and finish your check.
Canada was out played. The end.
The haters of haters become righteous haters which makes them rather sad, hypocritical and conflicted people, which in real life, I'm sure you are.
Get a freakin' life.
Yep !
I really love the guy who makes the hater comments any time someone makes a comment he doesn't agree with. We get it. You don't like anyone saying anything you disagree with. Now do you actually have anything to say…you know, in the way of a comment on the subject at hand?