MONDAY WJHC RUNDOWN: CANADA GETS UPSET

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) – Brandt Clarke could feel excitement building in the Canadian locker room.

A talented, ultra-skilled roster featuring three NHL players and the presumptive top pick at the 2023 draft was giddy at the thought of impressing a rabid home crowd.

Once the puck dropped, it was a completely different story.

Jaroslav Chemeler and Matous Mensik scored 33 seconds apart during a five-minute power play as Czechia stunned Canada 5-2 in the opener for both countries at the world junior hockey championship Monday.

“We wanted to put on a show,” said Clarke, one of three NHL players loaned to the national team. “Maybe that got us away from what we were actually intending to do – just be a hard-nosed team, be a team nobody wants to play against.

“If you ask (the Czechs) we weren’t that. They didn’t have a lot of trouble getting the puck out of their zone, they didn’t have a lot of trouble handling it in our zone.”

Stanislav Svozil and David Spacek, with a goal and an assist each, and David Moravec also scored for underdog Czechia, the country commonly known as the Czech Republic. Tomas Suchanek was stellar in making 36 saves behind a structured, determined group.

“Never had a better feeling,” Svozil said. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

Shane Wright, with a goal and an assist, and Connor Bedard replied for disjointed, at-times-free-wheeling Canada.

“We’re all just disappointed – disappointed with our effort, disappointed with the result,” said Wright, the Canadian captain and No. 4 overall pick in 2022. “We know we have a whole lot better than that.”

“They played with little more intensity to start,” added Bedard, a phenom expected to go first overall in June. “They outworked us for a good amount of the game.”

Benjamin Gaudreau allowed five goals on 17 shots before being replaced by Thomas Milic in the second period. Milic finished with 10 saves as the suddenly wobbly tournament favourites lost to the Czechs for the first time in 3,285 days.

Sweden hammered Austria 11-0 in Group A’s other game.

“I don’t want to say ‘shock’ because we knew if we didn’t bring it there’s some really good teams,” Clarke said. “It’s kind of ‘disbelief’ where it happened so fast. It’s like, ‘Wow, the game has got away from us.’

“We didn’t fight to get back into it.”

SWITZERLAND 3, FINLAND 2, OT

Attilio Biasca scored 41 seconds into overtime as Switzerland opened the tournament with a 3-2 win over Finland in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Lorenzo Canonica and Jeremy Jabola also scored for Switzerland. Jonas Taibel had two assists, while Kevin Pasche stopped 14 shots.

Konsta Kapanen and Kalle Vaisanen scored for Finland. Aku Koskenvuo made 24 saves.

Finland was the runner-up at the last world juniors, falling to Canada 3-2 in overtime in August.

SWEDEN 11, AUSTRIA 0

Filip Bystedt and Isak Rosen each had two goals and an assist as Sweden got off to a blazing start with an 11-0 drubbing of Austria in Halifax.

Carl Lindbom had 13 saves while also dishing out an assist for Sweden.

Thomas Pfarrmaier stopped 23 of 29 shots in 30:28 of action before being pulled for Benedikt Oschgan, who allowed five goals on 22 shots for Austria.

UNITED STATES 5, LATVIA 2

Luke Hughes, Red Savage, Chaz Lucius, Sean Behrens and Jimmy Snuggerud scored for the powerful United States in its opener in Moncton.

Anri Ravinskis and Niks Fenenko scored for Latvia.

The teams were scoreless after the first period and tied 2-2 heading into the final frame. The U.S. outshot Latvia 46-17.

(Photo: Hockey Canada)