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 menB次元官网网址檚 hockey championship Monday.
Stanislav Svozil and David Spacek, with a goal and an assist each, and David Moravec provided the rest of the offence for underdog Czechia, the country commonly known as the Czech Republic.
Tomas Suchanek was stellar in making 36 saves behind a structured, determined group.
Shane Wright, with a goal and an assist, and Connor Bedard replied for Canada. Benjamin Gaudreau allowed five goals on 17 shots before being replaced by Thomas Milic in the second period. Milic finished with 10 saves for the suddenly wobbly tournament favourites who lost to the Czechs for the first time in 3,285 days.
Sweden hammered Austria 11-0 in Group AB次元官网网址檚 other game.
Looking for its 20th gold medal after winning on home soil in Edmonton this past summer, Canada suffered just its second loss in 24 meetings with the Czechs at the menB次元官网网址檚 under-20 showcase since 1994, with the only other defeat coming in a shootout in the 2013 preliminary round.
馃幆 smashed by Connor Bedard! 馃ぉ
B次元官网网址� Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada)
Down 3-2 in the second period Monday, Canada crumbled after forward Zach Dean was assessed a match penalty for an illegal check to the head.
With Dean taking an early shower, Chemeler banged home a loose puck from GaudreauB次元官网网址檚 doorstep at 8:14 before Mensik fired from a sharp angle moments later to end a netminderB次元官网网址檚 forgettable night.
Canada pushed as the period wore on, but Suchanek was there to deny Brennan Othmann on a frantic power play before Wright hit the post late in the period.
The Canadians got a power play early in the third, but were unable to connect, and the quietly confident Czechs kept their cool from there to secure an improbable victory.
The first B次元官网网址渘ormalB次元官网网址� world juniors since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic B次元官网网址� 2021 was played in a bubble before the 2022 event was postponed eight months B次元官网网址� fans inside a frothing Scotiabank Centre were ready from puck drop.
The tournament hosts had a number of early chances, including Adam FantilliB次元官网网址檚 attempt at B次元官网网址淭he MichiganB次元官网网址� that was thwarted by Spacek, before pushing ahead on a power play.
After the Czechs were whistled for goaltender interference on a sequence where the puck wound up in GaudreauB次元官网网址檚 net, Wright tipped Olen ZellwegerB次元官网网址檚 point shot for the Canadian captainB次元官网网址檚 first-ever world junior goal.
Bedard then had CanadaB次元官网网址檚 second effort at completing B次元官网网址淭he MichiganB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� where a player picks the puck up on his stick behind the net and tries to tuck it upstairs B次元官网网址� before Brandt ClarkeB次元官网网址檚 2-0 goal was nixed by an offside review.
That seemed to energize Czechia.
Spacek scored on a backdoor play where he caught Fantilli napping defensively before MoravecB次元官网网址檚 seeing-eye point shot 35 seconds later gave the Czechs an unlikely 2-1 lead through 20 minutes.
Svozil put the Czechs ahead by two 44 seconds after the intermission when he was given too much room coming down off the point, but Bedard responded 45 seconds after that off a turnover to ignite the red-clad Maritime crowd hosting the world juniors for the first time in 20 years.
But DeanB次元官网网址檚 hit on defenceman Ales Cech resulted in the five-minute penalty that would extend the underdog CzechB次元官网网址檚 lead to three and leave Canada with plenty of questions.
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HEAVE AWAY
CanadaB次元官网网址檚 goal song for the first world juniors to be played on the East Coast in 20 years is B次元官网网址淗eave AwayB次元官网网址� by The Fables, a Celtic rock band from St. JohnB次元官网网址檚, N.L.
TRAVEL WOES
Czech defenceman David JiricekB次元官网网址檚 equipment didnB次元官网网址檛 arrive in Halifax until Monday afternoon thanks to the winter storm that walloped central and Eastern Canada last week.
The No. 6 pick at the 2022 NHL draft B次元官网网址� property of the Columbus Blue Jackets and a member of the AHLB次元官网网址檚 Cleveland Monsters B次元官网网址� was supposed to join his teammates Friday in Halifax, but didnB次元官网网址檛 get out of Toronto until 48 hours later.
Jiricek was on the ice for his teamB次元官网网址檚 morning skate B次元官网网址� in borrowed gear B次元官网网址� and was a game-time decision until his bag was driven from the airport to the arena.
UP NEXT
Canada: Faces Germany on Wednesday.
Czechia: Faces Austria on Tuesday.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
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