Canada and USA both win opening games of World juniors

Canada kicks off quest for quadruple gold at world junior hockey championship
with a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic http://www.tsn.ca/world_jrs/news_story/?ID=225888&hubname=world_jrs

PARDUBICE, Czech Republic - John Tavares of the Oshawa Generals scored two power-play goals and goaltender Jonathan Bernier earned the shutout as Canada beat the host Czech Republic 3-0 to open the world junior hockey championship Wednesday.
The Czechs outshot Canada 9-2 over the opening seven minutes on the strength of two power-play opportunities, however ,Bernier made six saves during them and also stopped Halifax Mooseheads forward Jakub Voracek on an attempted wrap-around in the opening minute. On the strenght of a late power play in the first, Canada was able to turn the momentum around in the second period, and never looked back.

USA rips Kazakhstan 5-1

LIBEREC, Czech Republic -- Kyle Okposo was one of five different players to score as Team USA earned a 5 -1 victory over Kazakhstan today in the opening game for both teams of the preliminary round of the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship.

"I thought we got stronger as the game wore on," said U.S. Head Coach John Hynes. "It's always important to get the tournament started on the right foot and we accomplished that today."

John Tavares guarantees Canada will win gold

Team Canada didn't come all the way here just to miss Christmas, he said, minutes after Canada finished the round-robin portion of the 2008 world junior hockey championship with a 4-1 over Denmark (0-4) on Monday night.

With that victory, viewed by 1,158 mostly Canadian fans, Canada (3-1) finished second in Group A and will play Finland (1-1-0-2) in one quarter-final game on Wednesday.

That game will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Russia (3-1) will play the Czech Republic (2-2) in the other quarter-final.

The Swedes (4-0) and the United States (4-0) will get byes to the semifinals on Friday.

The winner of the Canada-Finland game will play the United States in one semifinal, while the winner of the Czech-Russian game will play the Swedes in the other.

The bronze- and gold-medal games will be played on Saturday.

USA Continues to Roll in WJC With 5-3 Victory Over Finland
http://blog.mlive.com/whaletales/2007/12/usa_continues_to_roll_in_wjc_w.html

LIBEREC, Czech Republic - The U.S. National Junior Team built a 5-0 lead through two periods and finished with a 5-3 victory over Finland in the final preliminary-round game for both teams at the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship here tonight. Colin Wilson (Greenwich, Conn./Boston University) had a natural hat trick for Team USA.

The United States finished 4-0 in the preliminary round and earned a bye to Friday's (Jan. 4) semifinals, where it will face the winner of Wednesday's (Jan. 2) Canada-Finland quarterfinal contest.

"I liked the way we played early in the game," said U.S. Head Coach John Hynes. "We got sloppy at times, especially in the third period, and we have to learn from that."

Team USA scored the only two goals of the opening period. The first came at 9:29 when Wilson tapped in a puck that was loose in the crease after James vanRiemsdyk's (Middleton, N.J./University of New Hampshire) original shot from the left faceoff dot got between the legs of Finland netminder Riku Helenius. Jordan Schroeder (Prior Lake, Minn./U.S. National Under-18 Team) also was credited with an assist on the play. Wilson scored his second of the game off another rebound of a vanRiemsdyk shot. U.S. netminder Jeremy Smith (Brownstown, Mich./Plymouth) was solid in goal, making 10 saves in the period.

The United States went up 3-0 at 1:43 of the second period off a Finland turnover. Wilson picked up the puck at the bottom of the left circle and backhanded one past Helenius. The American lead went to 4-0 when Tyler Ruegsegger (Lakewood, Colo./University of Denver) wristed one from the left faceoff circle that found the far side of the net. Kyle Okposo (St. Paul, Minn.) and Jamie McBain (Faribault, Minn./University of Wisconsin) each gained assists on the goal. Then, after Wilson won the faceoff, vanRiemsdyk whistled one home from the top of the left circle at 9:14 to prompt a goaltending change for Finland. Team USA led 5-0 after 40 minutes.

Finland scored the only three goals of the third period, including a pair of power-play markers. The first came at 10:52 when Nico Aaltonen re-directed a feed from the side of the net. At 16:08 Mikko Kousa wristed one from the slot through traffic that found the back of the net. Then with :46 left in the contest, Niclas Lucenius deflected a shot in front of U.S. netminder Joe Palmer (Yorkville, N.Y./The Ohio State University), who relieved Smith to start the third period.

Smith (15 saves) and Palmer (8 saves) combined in goal to gain the win for Team USA, while Helenius and Sateri totaled 24 stops in the losing effort for Finland.

USA won the tournament in 2004, Canada is going for a forth straight title

Posted: January 2, 2008
Canadian Press



PARDUBICE, Czech Republic (CP) -- Canada defeated Finland 4-2 on Wednesday to advance to the semifinal round at the world junior hockey championship.


The defending champions will meet the United States on Friday.

Brad Marchand of QMJHL Halifax scored the go-ahead goal at 10:32 of the third period to break a 2-2 tie. Stefan Legein of OHL Niagara sealed the victory with an empty-net goal.

John Tavares of OHL Oshawa and Steve Stamkos of OHL Sarnia also scored. Defenseman Drew Doughty of OHL Guelph had two assists.

Jan-Mikael Juutilainen and WHL Kamloops forward Juuso Puustinen replied for Finland.

Steve Mason was in goal for Canada, stopping 21 shots. Finnish counterpart Harri Sateri made 28 saves.

The Canadians had finished second in Pool A with a 3-1 record while the Finns were third in Pool B at 2-1-1.

Russia and the host Czech Republic were to meet in a later quarterfinal Wednesday. The U.S. and Sweden earned byes to Friday's semifinals.

Friday’s semifinal game showcasing USA and last year’s champion, Team Canada, will be shown live on the NHL Network. Semifinal game number one will be shown at 9 a.m. CST, while semifinal game number two will begin at 1 p.m. CST. The teams skating in both semifinal games have not yet been decided.

The NHL Network will also have a live broadcast of all medal-round games on Jan. 5, 2008. The bronze medal game will face off at 9 a.m. CST, with the championship game beginning at 1 p.m. CST that afternoon. Click here for a complete list of NHL Network TV coverage of the World Juniors Championships.

Mikado, I'm trying not to embarrass myself here, but my cousin's son plays for the New Mexico Scorpions. Does that mean anything, in terms of your thread here? Please don't laugh at me, as I am clueless when it comes to hockey, lol.

http://www.scorpionshockey.com/team/players/

Is this like the Little League World Series except it is hockey?

Originally Posted by Janice
Mikado, I'm trying not to embarrass myself here, but my cousin's son plays for the New Mexico Scorpions. Does that mean anything, in terms of your thread here? Please don't laugh at me, as I am clueless when it comes to hockey, lol.

I looked up the CHL in Wikipedia and all they had was a list of teams but, it looks as if this is a pro league , thus, likely players of 18-40+ , wheras Juniors are 16-20. The World juniors is a tourney for the future stars of the NHL and probably the BEST tournament of its kind. (Probably the only World tourney where every country is able to send their best) Anyway, don't be afraid to ask Janice, if you have any more Qs....maybe you could try a Boston Bruins game sometime, you might even enjoy it!

Is this like the Little League World Series except it is hockey?
yes, that would be a pretty good comparison, except, these players are a little older, 16-20 and some go straight from this tournament to the NHL (Some are even active NHL players 18-20), as they qualify until 21, even if they arent playing in the Jr hockey leagues anymore.......Most Ameican players are college players, of Junior age , for that matter.

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/postedsports/archive/2008/01/04/world-junior-canada-headed-to-fifth-straight-gold-medal-game.aspx

A pair of third-period goals Friday ensured Canada would get a chance to defend its title at the World Junior Hockey Championship.

Colton Gillies and Brad Marchand scored 20 seconds apart as the Canadians dumped the U.S. 4-1 in the semi-final in Pardubice, Czech Republic. Sweden defeated Russia 2-1 in overtime in the earlier semi-final, providing Canada with a chance for revenge in Saturday's gold-medal game (2 p.m. ET, TSN). It will mark the seventh straight year the Canadians have played for the gold.


Steve Mason collected the victory in the Canadian net, while Shawn Matthias and team captain Karl Alzner had the other goals. James Van Riemsdyk scored with 6:34 left in the game to spoil the shutout.

In the other semi-final, Mikael Backlund scored at 6:18 of overtime Friday to give Sweden a 2-1 victory over Russia to win a berth in the final against Canada.

Btw the USA goes up against Russia in the Bronze medal game tomorrow morning (Sat.) at 10 am est.

I looked up the CHL in Wikipedia and all they had was a list of teams but, it looks as if this is a pro league , thus, likely players of 18-40+ , wheras Juniors are 16-20. The World juniors is a tourney for the future stars of the NHL and probably the BEST tournament of its kind. (Probably the only World tourney where every country is able to send their best) Anyway, don't be afraid to ask Janice, if you have any more Qs....maybe you could try a Boston Bruins game sometime, you might even enjoy it!
Yes, it's pro. Sort of like the minor leagues. My cousin is #15 on the roster in the link I provided. He played in college, graduated and there he is. He's 23 now. His Dad (my first cousin) was super involved in his sports since his son was a little boy, and it paid off. What happens now, remains to be seen.

LOL at the Bruins. Not much of a hockey person. I suffer through the Red Sox for half the year, then the Patriots. My husband is a passive watcher of the Bruins and the Celtics. He's a fair-weathered fan with those teams. He's following the Celtics now since they're on fire. With the Sox and the Pats, they could be having the worst season ever, but he never stops watching.

Why do you "suffer" when the Sox have been so good?....you mean you are always worried that they might fall apart one day?
Maybe yourcousin will make the NHL one day, you never know...maybe as a 4th line player. (I had a cousin who was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres but, never made the NHL after getting a puck in the eye.....they really should make visors mandatory!)

Why do you "suffer" when the Sox have been so good?....you mean you are always worried that they might fall apart one day?
There are 162 games a year, and my husband misses perhaps 10 of them, at most. I have to coordinate everything around the Sox...movies, other shows, etc. When we visit people or even at a party, he can usually be found near the tv. He tapes games too, when we go out. If we're in a restaurant, he convienently finds the bar on the way back from the men's room, to catch what's going on. When people visit us, the game is on.

Then there's the tv shows, pre-game, post-game, ESPN, NFL Network, NESN, local Boston shows. He reads the sports page for a good hour over breakfast. Fair enough, but sometimes I like to talk to my husband over breakfast.

It often affects his moods. The Sox are a hovering presence in our lives from April until October. With the Patriot's rise over the last few years, he's into that like there's no tomorrow. It's two to three hours of sport's shows every night. The Sox and the Pats dominate our lives. He's fortunate that I love the teams too, but I don't watch the games all the time. I don't watch the Sox games at all, unless we're in the playoffs. You've probably heard of the term, a golf widow. Well, I'm a sport's widow, lol.

He's a great guy who doesn't smoke, drink, gamble or womanize. What can I say, he loves his sports. I knew this going in. :)

oh, i see ..."baseball widow" :lol: Well, as you said, hes otherwise a good man....You're right, if that's his only vice, then you arent doing badly!
As for myself, if i ever got married, sports wouldnt be a problem until the fall when the hockey season starts. (Its the only sport i really follow) :D

LOL at the Bruins.
Bobby Orr is "god." That said, the finals can be seen live online at TSN.ca (http://www.tsn.ca/).

Bobby Orr is "god." .
I'm more of a Maurice Richard man, myself :lol:

Bobby Orr is "god."
To you. There's only one "God" to me, and he's not a former hockey player, lol. And it was LOL at a Bruin's joke, not at the Bruins. I grew up with the Bruins. I know the greatness they had. Bobby Orr was incredible. That entire era when he played was great for the Bruins. Born and rasied in Boston, that's me.

I'm more of a Maurice Richard man, myself :lol:


I never knew much about him until Frank bought the DVD about The Rocket last year - great movie and what a great man to overcome the predudice he experienced.


I know he wasn't the greatest player in the world, but I'm a Darryl Sittler gal myself - mainly because I used to wait on him and Salming during training season. Two of the classiest guys in the NHL!

And ya, I'd say the juniors are a little more than considered "little league" - these guys are potential draft picks very soon - especially when they're playing the way they have been.

I've been laughing at all the trash talking that's been going on. We have that friendly rivalry with the U.S. and not really any other country so it makes it a little more "special". ;)

To you. There's only one "God" to me, and he's not a former hockey player, lol. And it was LOL at a Bruin's joke, not at the Bruins. I grew up with the Bruins. I know the greatness they had. Bobby Orr was incredible. That entire era when he played was great for the Bruins. Born and rasied in Boston, that's me.


LOL - I used to get bashed all the time for wearing a Bruins shirt in Leaf Land. I wasn't even into hockey, but I liked the colours of their shirts best.

(kinda like how I pick teams in the football pool!) ;)

LOL - I wasn't even into hockey, but I liked the colours of their shirts best.
(kinda like how I pick teams in the football pool!) ;)
And HOW is that working out for you? :lol:

Congratulations to Team Canada! That said, deciding a hockey final with a 20min. four on four overtime period or a shootout is total BS.

Congratulations to Team Canada! That said, deciding a hockey final with a 20min. four on four overtime period or a shootout is total BS.I can live with the overtime period but, I HATE shootouts with a passion, especially to decide a tournament, and i'm glad it never came to that!

Team Canada took home its fourth straight gold medal Saturday, defeating Sweden 3-2 in overtime action during the final game of the under-20 World Junior Hockey Championship.

Ontario-native Matt Halischuk scored the winning goal only three minutes into the overtime action.

"It's unbelievable," Halischuk told TSN over a roaring crowd speckled with red and white Team Canada jerseys. "Oh my God, I just want all these guys to know I love them so much."

Brad Marchand opened the scoring one minute and 27 seconds into the first period of the high-profile game in Pardubice, Czech Republic.

Following the game, Marchand said the victory was particularly special for him and his teammates.

"This one is even better than the last one, we had so much adversity we had to overcome to win this one. So, it made it so much sweeter," he said.

"We really wanted to get our revenge. They were saying in the paper how they wanted to beat us twice so we really wanted to get our revenge and play like we did the night before."

Steve Mason, a netkeeper with the London Knights, was named the tournament's top goaltender and most valuable player. Mason said he's looking forward to celebrating the win with his teammates.

"It was an unbelievable tournament and I'm just the happiest guy in the world right now," he said following the game.

"Everybody was down but we were still confident we would come out on top. As you can see we're unbelievably happy."

Claude Giroux, with an assist from Marchand and Kyle Turris, ripped the team's second goal on a power play with three minutes to go in the first period, giving Canada a comfortable 2-0 lead over the Swedes.

Forward Stefan Legein was forced to exit the game early in the first period after he injured his right shoulder.

It's believed Legein was injured when he took a bodycheck against the boards. However, the 19-year-old assistant captain was feeling no pain following the win.

"It's hard to feel pain when you have a big medal around your neck. I'm so proud of the guys; they went out there and did what they had to do," he said.

"I wish I was out there with them but they took care of business and that's all that matters."

The second period saw no scoring with Canada failing to take advantage of three power-play opportunities.

Sweden's Jonathan Carlsson cut Canada's lead in half, scoring on Mason five minutes into the third period.

With only 38 seconds left in the game, Sweden's Thomas Larsson scored to tie up the game, sending both teams into a 20-minute four-on-four overtime.

Canada lost 4-3 to Sweden last weekend during a preliminary Poll A matchup.

It was Canada's only loss this year, ending a 20-game win streak at the tournament that extended back to 2004.

Canada has won the last three junior tournaments -- all against the Russians -- and will now have appeared in the finals for the past seven years.

Meanwhile, Russia beat the U.S. 4-2 securing the bronze medal earlier on Saturday.

Russia is headed home with bronze.

The Russians defeated the United States 4-2 on Saturday in the bronze-medal game at the world junior hockey championship in Pardubice, Czech Republic.

Nikita Filatov, eligible for this coming summer's NHL entry draft, led the Russian offence with a pair of goals and an assist.


New York Rangers prospect Alexei Cherepanov picked up a goal and two assists.

Russia scored three times in the first period on just eight shots. Filatov's second goal of the game, early in the second, gave Russia a 4-0 lead.

The United States, who coasted to a 4-0 record in the preliminary round, received goals from Rhett Rakhshani, a New York Islanders prospect, and Jordan Schroeder.

Im so thrilled to see a hockey thread get over 200 hits :D :clap :woohoo: ...if i can get my puter fixed, I'll be back with the CHL and NHL playoffs in a few months ;)