The puck gets past Latvia's Niklavs Rauza #1 for a first period goal while USA's William Lockwood #10 looks on during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship
If Neil Young rewrote one of his hits for the U.S., it’d be “Scorin’ in the Free World.” The hosts pounded Latvia 12-1 for their third straight win on Sunday.
Trent Frederic scored a hat trick and added an assist. Kailer Yamamoto potted two goals, and Adam Fox, Kieffer Bellows, and Clayton Keller had a goal and two assists apiece as the U.S. moved closer to wrapping up top seed in Group A.
James Sanchez, Joey Anderson, Zachary Walker, and Nick Pastujov also scored for the Americans. All in all, 16 different U.S. players recorded a point or more.
"It just shows you the depth of this team," said Yamamoto. "They definitely picked a great team for this tournament and I’m just looking forward to going to the medal round."
Vladislavs Nazarovs replied for Latvia, which lost its previous two games in extra time.
This outcome was predictable, if even more lopsided than past history might have led you to anticipate. The U.S. won the previous two U18 meetings with Latvia 8-0 (2007) and 7-1 (2013). The defending champions are gunning for their tenth U18 gold medal since this tournament began in 1999.
Final shots favored the U.S. 58-23. They have outscored their rivals 26-4 so far.
This was the third-biggest margin of victory in tournament history, equalling the 12-1 U.S. victory over Belarus in 2006. Canada set the record with a 15-1 win over Denmark in 2005.
The Americans will complete their preliminary schedule against Switzerland on Tuesday. Latvia gets another chance to crack the win column against Russia on Monday.
"The next game is a big one," said U.S. head coach Danton Cole. "We’ll get a day of rest and get ready for Switzerland and keep moving through it. When you’re done with one game, the next one’s the most important."
The Latvians did their best early on, though they ran into penalty trouble with a bench minor for too many men and a cross-checking minor to Olafs Berzins, which gave the U.S. an extended two-man advantage.
On a subsequent Latvian power play, Oettinger had to be sharp to foil Erlends Klavins from point blank range. And then hope swiftly died for the Baltic nation.
At 14:27, the U.S. drew first blood. Sanchez rushed the puck into the Latvian zone, pulled up in the right faceoff circle, and squeezed a bad-angle shot through Niklavs Rauza, who his first start in goal for Latvia.
Two minutes later, Anderson gobbled up a Bellows rebound and flung it past a lunging Rauza to make it 2-0.
Of his line's chemistry together, Bellows said: "I feel like as the season has gone on, it’s gotten even better."
Late in the period, Walker took a run at Emils Gegeris, who was clearing the puck out of Latvia’s zone. The Latvian forward crumpled to the ice while trying to dodge the hit and was helped off, while Walker was penalized.
Just 30 seconds into the second period, the U.S. moved the puck up ice beautifully for a 3-0 lead. Logan Brown sent it cross-ice to Yamamoto, who snapped it high to the glove side for his third goal.
"We had some good transitions from the D zone and I think our play in the offensive zone was pretty good," Yamamoto said.
At 8:26, playing shorthanded, Nazarovs zoomed down the right side and zinged a shot that tipped off the inside of U.S. captain Ryan Lindgren’s leg and fooled Oettinger to cut the deficit 3-1.
The American response was swift and uncompromising: three goals in just 1:09.
At 9:38, Walker put one through Rauza, who looked frustrated, and then Frederic scored top corner at 10:03.
Latvian coach Eriks Miluns pulled Rauza in favor of Gustavs Grigals. It didn’t make any difference.
Fox was allowed to waltz in unobstructed for the 6-1 goal at 10:47. According to USA Hockey, in the 6-1 win over Sweden, Fox became the single-season NTDP points leader among defenceman, including both regular season and U18 World Championship play.
The Latvians called their timeout and that didn’t make any difference either.
Yamamoto scored his fourth of the tournament at 6:31 of the second as he tried to feed it across the goal mouth and Grigals inadvertently knocked it into his own net with his blocker hand.
At 17:30, it was 8-1 when Pastujov walked in over the blueline, cut to the left and scored over Grigals’s glove.
In the third period, Keller made it 9-1 with a nice drag-and-drop move at 8:04. He then set up Bellows beautifully on a turnover for the tenth U.S. goal.
Penalties added up in the dying stages as Latvia's frustration with the lopsided score boiled over. Frederic added a power play tally at 15:24 to make it 11-1.
"From our side, I was OK with how things were going," said Cole. "I told guys: ‘Stay out of it. You don’t have to expose yourself and get run from behind. Protect yourself.’"
U.S. forward Graham McPhee was ejected with a five-minute major with 3:14 left for a high hit on Valters Apfelsbaums in the neutral zone.
Frederic's shorthanded goal on a breakaway at 18:44 rounded out the scoring at 12-1.
Canada's Brett Howden #10 scores a second period goal against the Czech Republic's Josef Korenar #30 during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship
Brett Howden scored twice to pace Canada to a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic. Goalie Evan Fitzpatrick recorded 38 saves in his Saturday night debut.
David Quenneville also scored for Canada. Mason Shaw and Dante Fabbro had two assists apiece.
"It feels really good," said Howden, who was inserted into the lineup for his first game. "It’s a good way to start off coming here. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind these last 24 hours. It was a great way to start off with a bunch of great guys."
This was a different kind of test for Canada after hammering Denmark 10-2 in its opener. That game was delayed due to a power outage at the Ralph Engelstad Arena between the first and second periods.
It was a gritty effort for coach Shaun Clouston's crew, but the Canadians took more penalties than they'd like, especially down the stretch.
"Our PK was really strong for us tonight," said Quenneville. "Obviously we took too many penalties. I think we need to get better."
Canada last won U18 gold in 2013, earning bronze last year.
The Czechs, who lost a 4-3 shootout with Finland in their opener, got their lone goal from 16-year-old Filip Zadina.
Playing a smart puck control game enabled the Czechs to stay on even terms with Canada in the early going. But it fell apart late in the first period.
Canada drew first blood when Fabbro slid a nice cross-ice pass to Howden and his release squeezed through sliding Czech goalie Josef Kolenar at 17:41. Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration” resounded from the P.A. for the first time this night.
Czech defenceman Ondrej Kachyna then had a knee-on-knee collision with Michael McLeod and was sent off. McLeod was not injured, but Canada quickly put the hurt on the Czechs with its power play.
At 18:58, Quenneville faked a slap shot from the left faceoff circle and then sent it past Kolenar to make it 2-0.
In the second period, Shaw came over the Czech blue line and blasted a slap shot on goal, and Howden, who plays for the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors, easily converted the rebound from the doorstep at 5:17.
With about five and a half minutes left in the middle stanza, Zadina had a great chance to put the Czechs on the board on a breakaway, but Fitzpatrick foiled his backhand move.
"It’s a different game for sure [if I score there]," said Zadina. "Next time I’ll try a shot."
The Czechs outshot Canada 22-9 in the middle frame, and 39-28 overall. But it wouldn't be enough.
Of Fitzpatrick's play, Howden said: "He was our backbone tonight. I thought we gave the Czechs too many chances, definitely more than they needed. Fitzpatrick held us in there. If it wasn’t for him, that game could have gone the other way."
At 2:35 of the third, the Czechs finally broke Fitzpatrick's goose egg with a power play tally. Zadina collected the rebound from Libor Hajek's center point drive and tucked a backhand home.
When Canada got caught with too many men on the ice, the Czechs got a two-man advantage for 1:12 midway through the third period, but they couldn't capitalize on this golden opportunity. That sealed the outcome. They didn't pull their goalie for the extra attacker in the dying seconds.
With the result, Canada's all-time record against the Czech Republic at the IIHF U18 World Championship improved to seven wins, one tie, and four losses.
The Czechs surprised the hockey world by earning U18 silver in 2014. Their fate here is still an open question.
Both Canada and the Czechs are off till Monday. Canada faces Slovakia that day and the Czechs take on Denmark.
"Getting our rest is going to be very important," said Clouston.
Finland's Juuso Valimaki #6 celebrates a first period goal against Slovakia while Slovakia's Erik Rajnoha #16 and Michal Ivan #21 look on during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship.
Finland outshot Slovakia 32-16 in a 4-2 win at the ICON Sports Centre. It was Finland’s second straight win and first in regulation at this U18 tournament.
However, in addition to outshooting and outscoring the Slovaks by a 2-to-1 margin, the blue-and-white team also took 16 minutes in penalties to Slovakia's eight, an area they'll have to work on moving forward.
Kristian Vesalainen led the way for Finland with a goal and two assists, while Aapeli Rasanen also starred with a goal and a helper.
The Finns haven't captured U18 gold since winning U18 titles in 1999 and 2000. They were second behind the United States last year.
Slovakia beat Denmark 5-4 in its opener, but couldn't keep up with the Finns in this one.
Rasanen gave Finland a 1-0 lead at 13:20. The Slovaks had a brief two-man advantage at the end of the first, but failed to cash in.
At 2:02 of the second period, Vesalainen notched his second of the tournament to make it 2-0.
However, the Slovaks got back in the game after Janne Kuokkanen, the shootout hero in the opening 4-3 win over the Czechs, took a goalie interference penalty. Samuel Bucek made it 2-1 on the ensuing power play at 8:24.
Just over four minutes later, Otto Maskinen stretched Finland's lead to 3-1.
But the Slovaks weren't quitting. Adam Ruzicka finished off a 2-on-1 break to cut the deficit to 3-2 at 14:01.
In the third period, Kuokkanen atoned for his earlier misstep when he restored Finland's two-goal edge with 7:19 left.
The Finns get right back it on Sunday against Denmark. Slovakia's next challenge is Canada on Monday.
Sweden's Filip Larsson #30 makes the save against USA's Logan Brown #27 during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship.
The United States got three second-period goals in a 6-1 rout of Sweden on Saturday. In their second straight win, the hosts had six different goal-scorers
Casey Mittelstadt, Kieffer Bellows, Ryan Lindgren, James Greenway, Keegan Howdeshell and Joey Anderson tallied for the Americans, who continue to get scoring throughout the lineup. Adam Fox, Logan Brown, and Clayton Keller chipped in two assists apiece.
Commenting on the key to America's firepower, defenceman Chad Krys said: "It helps when you can play sound defence and transition quickly."
So far, the defending champions have outscored their opponents 14-3 in Grand Forks. And they may already have faced their toughest tests of the preliminary round.
Looking ahead to the remaining games, Bellows said: "I just want to see us dominate. I want to see us play our USA hockey. We have a saying: ‘Go full 60 minutes, no regrets, no excuses.’ And that’s what we need to do."
Timothy Liljegren replied for Sweden. It was an underwhelming outing for the Swedes, who won the silver medal each year from 2010 to 2012, but looked overmatched here in terms of speed, strength, and skill.
Sweden now has just two U18 wins in 14 tries all-time against the Americans. The last one came in 2010.
Shots favoured Sweden 35-23, but this was a classic case of quality trumping quantity.
"It felt good just keeping things simple and playing our game out there," said Keller. "That’s what we need to do to compete and have a good tournament."
Coach Torgny Bendelin's squad looked good in the early going, firing six shots at U.S. goalie Joseph Woll before the Americans got one. Yet the trend wouldn't last.
Of Woll's solid play, Bellows said: "Once he makes a big save, it really gets the adrenalin going."
The U.S. opened the scoring at 17:51 with a delayed penalty coming up to Swedish captain Jacob Cederholm for crunching Kailer Yamamoto from behind in the Swedish zone. Yamamoto got the puck around the boards to Logan Brown and he moved it to Mittelstadt, who cut through the right faceoff circle and zinged one past Swedish starter Filip Larsson’s glove.
At 2:17 of the second period, Bellows got a breakaway and made no mistake, going high to the glove again for a 2-0 lead.
It was 3-0 just 1:41 later when the Americans completed a dazzling passing play. Graham McPhee did some nice stickhandling before centering the puck to Lindgren, and the American captain tipped it into the gaping cage.
Sweden called its timeout, but the game was already out of reach.
With 2:43 left in the second, Greenway scored arguably the prettiest goal of the tournament to date. After blocking a shot in his own zone, the U.S. blueliner headed up ice, received a blind pass from Keller, and, with a dirty dangle, scored on his backhand while skating backwards -- shorthanded.
"I saw him out of the corner of my eye over there and didn’t expect him to go down and score a goal like that," said Keller. "It was a pretty special goal."
In the third period, Howdeshell capitalized on a turnover at the Swedish blue line, swooped in off right wing, and zipped it past Larsson's right skate to make it 5-0 at 2:42.
The U.S. then took three straight minors, and Liljegren spoiled Woll's shutout bid with a power play marker at 10:32, firing a shot from the right faceoff circle that deflected up off Fox's stick and in. The goal was video-reviewed and ruled good.
Anderson restored the five-goal American lead with the man advantage, banging in a rebound at 12:03.
The U.S. faces winless Latvia on Sunday, while the Swedes battle Switzerland on Monday.
Russia's Pavel Dyomin #8 scores a game winning over time goal against Switzerland's Matteo Ritz #30 during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship
Pavel Dyomin scored at 1:55 of overtime as Russia beat Switzerland 2-1 for its first win of the 2016 tournament on Saturday.
Dyomin cut in, fought off the checking of Switzerland's Simon le Coultre, and lifted a shot past goalie Matteo Ritz's stick.
Yaroslav Alexeyev scored for Russia in regulation time, and Nico Hischier replied for Switzerland.
"In the first couple of periods we played a good game, but in the third period we kind of got away from it," said Russian assistant captain Mikhail Sergachyov. "We were passing a lot and shooting. Overall, it was good."
HIschier said: "In OT we had a breakaway and then they went back the other way and scored. OT is 50/50. It’s hard, but we have to keep our heads up and keep going."
Russia's Danil Tarasov got his first start in goal and win of the tournament. Shots on goal favored Russia 28-22.
From a historical angle, there was an extra whiff of intrigue to this game, because last year Switzerland upset Russia 5-0 in the quarter-final, played in the Swiss city of Zug. That was just the second Swiss win over Russia in U18 history, dating back to the first tournament in 1999 (4-1).
This was a different scenario, though, since Russia's team this year consists primarily of U17 players. It was a good recovery after their 8-2 loss to the U.S. to start the tournament.
"Obviously today was a better game," said Sergachyov. "We got experience against the States, and the boys were more confident against Switzerland."
It was a fairly tepid, tactical affair. The best chance in the scoreless first period went to Russia’s Vladimir Kuznetsov, who missed on a breakaway.
At 13:21 of the second period, Alexeyev broke the deadlock with his second goal of the tournament. He took a nice back pass in the neutral zone from Klim Kostin, bore down on Swiss defenceman Colin Gerber, and whipped a high shot over a surprised Ritz’s left shoulder.
The teams traded chances in the last minute of the middle frame. Kostin had a partial break, with Switzerland’s Axel Simic checking him from behind, but Ritz stopped his backhand deke. Simic put one off the post, and then Russia’s Mikhail Bitsadze missed an open net just before the siren.
Neither team was effective with the man advantage. The Russians had a good chance to go up by two when they went to the power play after Switzerland's Yannick Lerch ran Dmitri Zaitsev into the boards from behind at 6:44 of the third period. But they couldn't finish.
Switzerland finally tied it up with 10:53 left in regulation. Hischier took his time in the right faceoff circle before unleashing a wrister that eluded Tarasov high on the stick side, as Dmitri Samorukov attempted to pokecheck him in vain.
"I got a pass from Marco Miranda and I skated," said Hischier. "At first I wanted to make a play, but then I had a good scoring chance, so I shot."
The 1999-born Hischier, who played 15 NLA games with SC Bern this season, is considered one of his country's brightest forward prospects in years.
With under five minutes left in the third, Ivan Chekhovich deked his way past Swiss blueliner Elia Riva, but couldn't fool Ritz with his backhand attempt.
Showing how closely the hockey world is interconnected, Swiss forward Philipp Kurashev is the son of former Soviet U20/U18 national team player Konstantin Kurashev, who emigrated to Switzerland as a coach in the 1990’s.
Russia takes on Latvia on Monday, while Switzerland battles Sweden.
"Next game, we’re going to be ready and we’re going to win, I’m pretty sure," said Sergachyov.
ok, this was much better ! but still we are far from what we want see...
much better because thursday in Košice it was something horrible a true nightmare, I wish never see anymore in my life such unacceptable performance from our NT..
The Australian players listen to the national anthem after beating New Zealand and winning the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group B.
Australia has claimed gold in Mexico City to capture the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group B in stunning fashion.
The Mighty Roos re-join Division IIA after scoring a combined 58 goals against opponents Bulgaria, Israel, DPR Korea, hosts Mexico and on arch-rivals New Zealand.
After being relegated last year, the Australians were determined to get back. But newly-appointed head coach Brad Vigon had to make do without their star player Nathan Walker.
In the opening match, eventual silver medallist and host Mexico provided stoic resistance for Australia at the Ice Dome packed with 2,000 fans. The hosts came back from a 4-2 deficit in the third period to force overtime but the Mighty Roos prevailed in the extra period.
From there it was smooth sailing for the men from Down Under, defeating Bulgaria 14-0, Israel 11-3, DPR Korea 22-0 and finally a 6-2 win over New Zealand.
Despite the Kiwis not having the best of tournaments, Trans-Tasman bragging rights were on the line against Australia in the final match, in what is always a bruising encounter.
New Zealand dominated early from the opening puck-drop with physical forechecking pegging Australia in their own zone.
But as Australia settled, their strong passing game began to overpower the Ice Blacks and the breakthrough was made by Jordan Kyros from a nice feed from Wehebe Darge.
Defenceman David Huxley scored the Mighty Roos’ second goal as time expired in the first period, and Darge picked up his 10th goal of the tournament early in the middle frame to make it 3-0.
Mitch Humpries then added two quick goals and Darge bagged another, giving Australia a 6-0 cushion heading to the final period.
“Only gold – anything else is a failure,” coach Vigon said before the game. “That’s not only my opinion but in the opinion of the entire squad. We’re on a mission.”
“I couldn’t be more impressed by the guys’ buy-in and work ethic and everything we’ve done in preparation. The preparation the guys have done in the lead up has arguably been better than past years and they were ready to go before they boarded the plane. These guys are one of the best groups I’ve ever worked with. I can’t say enough good things about them.”
New Zealand fought gallantly in the third period, with Mitchell Frear and Jacob Ratcliffe finding the back of the net, but goalie Anthony Kimlin held firm for Australia to claim the gold with the final 6-2 win.
Mexico claimed the silver medal after defeating DPR Korea 5-3 in their final game.
“It was a close tournament overall with good hockey,” said Mexico team spokesperson Daniela Montes de Oca. “The crowds really came out to support us and the players had fun.”
Australia’s Darge finished as the tournament’s top scorer, notching 11 goals and 13 assists. Teammates Paul Baranzelli and Anthony Kimlin were named best defenceman and gest goaltender respectively, while Mexcio’s Hector Majul was voted best forward.
Israel finished with the bronze medal ahead of New Zealand (4th) and DPR Korea (5th). DPR Korea was the team promoted to this group and maintained to stay in Division II thanks to a 9-3 opening day win against Bulgaria. Later they also beat New Zealand, 7-4. Bulgaria is relegated to Division III after losing all five of their games.
The Netherlands players listen to the national anthem after winning the last game against Belgium and the tournament
One year after being relegated from the Division I, the Netherlands are back. The Dutch team did not slip up at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group A and claimed the gold winning all five games.
Although predicted by many as clear tournament favourites, the Netherlands travelled to Spain with an inexperienced squad as many players were not available for selection due to club team commitments. The main ‘culprit’ being the Tilburg Trappers, who made the switch to the third-tier German Oberliga this season and have advanced to the league finals which start today. It automatically meaned head coach Chris Eimers could put a cross through 12 names of the team that donned the orange jersey last year.
“It was a weird built-up to this tournament,” reveals Eimers. “We didn’t know who we could select as these playoffs were ongoing. We always had a backup plan in place.” A plan that included a string of inexperienced players that had yet to make their debut in the national team.
One of them was 31-year-old forward Jasper Kick from HYS The Hague, who was obviously delighted after having received his gold medal.
Kick: “It is great to experience this. I never had expected to be called up at my age. The coach is giving me so much confidence and he knows what I am capable of for this team.”
Asked if he expects to be around next year, Kick responded honestly: “I have to be realistic and admit there’s many better forwards then me in the Netherlands, so I shouldn’t be selected if the other players are available. However, I will always be ready when I’m being called upon.”
The tournament started off well for the Dutch, claiming a 3-2 morale boosting victory over a pesky Serbian side. On the second day an upset was in the making as hosts Spain took a cheeky 2-0 lead going into the final period but the Netherlands recovered and skated away with a 3-2 win in overtime.
“A good start is vital if you want to perform well during such a short tournament,” Chris Eimers said. “It builds trust and confidence instead of having to run behind the eight ball. We didn’t convert on our power plays against Spain and had a poor second period. But we were back on our feet in the third period and played up to our standards, which eventually led us to victory.”
After a modest but rock-solid win over Iceland (3-0), the Dutch offence started to click in the final two games. Boosted by the arrival of Nardo Nagtzaam, who had just won the Slovenian championship, the Dutch steamrolled China (9-0) before being able to lock first place in the group with a convincing 6-2 win over neighbours Belgium.
Not surprisingly, the Netherlands were well presented in the individual statistics lists. Forwards Kevin Bruijsten and Julian van Lijden each had five goals while defenceman Erik Tummers was honoured the tournament’s top scorer title with a goal and eight assists. Goaltender Sjoerd Idzenga was dominant in net with a Goals Against Average of 1.28 and a save percentage of 94.83%.
“The difference between Division I and Division II is gigantic. No offence to the squad who captured gold here and of which I’m extremely proud, but we need better players to compete in Division I,” said Eimers after the game.
“I know it sounds odd having just been promoted from Division II, but I honestly believe that if the Dutch Ice Hockey Federation can create the right environment for our top hockey players to develop and practise and we can have our best players available, the Dutch can compete in the top of Division IB or perhaps even lower half of Division IA.”
Hosts Spain set a questionable record of having won a silver at every IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship tournament this year. After the U20, U18 and women’s team, also the men’s team became second-best in the group with nine points due to losing the key game against the Netherlands in overtime.
A silver medal is what Belgium would have loved to get. Having gone unbeaten during the first three games, the team looked to be threatening the Dutch for gold. A 4-1 loss against Spain on Day 4 rocked their boat and after today’s loss against their northern neighbours the Belgians had to settle for bronze.
At the other end of the table, China was relegated back to Division II Group B having gone winless in all five games while Iceland and Serbia managed to stay. The smooth-skating Asians played some decent hockey during the tournament but fell short in the end. They managed to keep Spain at bay until the last five minutes and forced Belgium to overtime. China required a win over Serbia on the final day to keep their hopes of staying up alive but they left the ice with a 3-0 loss against the Serbs who claimed the fourth place just above Iceland.
Let the party begin! The Belarusian U18 national team won the deciding game against Germany on home ice 5-3 to earn promotion to the top division
The Belarusian U18 national team moves up to the top division for the first time since 2010 after winning the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division I Group A thanks to a 5-3 victory against eventual silver-medallist Germany. Kazakhstan took the bronze medals ahead of France and Norway while Austria was relegated.
Germany entered the last day as the leader with 11 points while host nation Belarus had 9 points from the first four games on its account.
Germany scored three markers in the final period to start with a 6-3 win against Norway, edged Austria 2-0, beat Kazakhstan 4-3 in overtime and earned a 5-3 victory in a difficult game with France to set up a final for promotion with Belarus.
Belarus had a similarly good start. The squad of Yuri Faikov beat Kazakhstan 5-2 thanks to three goals in the last period, then the hosts had a confident 6-3 win against Norway, edged France 3-2 and suffered a 5-4 loss to Austria.
That's why the hosts were in a less comfortable situation before the last game. Germany just needed a point from a win or a tie after 60 minutes but Belarus needed to beat Germany in regulation time to claim the tournament win and promotion. But eventually the loss to Austria didn’t change that much – to win the tournament one team needed to be better than the other. And what a game it was!
“It's difficult to play bad when you have such support as we had today. We realized the whole country was looking on us and remembered well about it,” Belarus head coach Yuri Faikov said.
“The lesson from the game with Austria was in players’ heads. They knew we had to be ready to show our best hockey and stick to the system.”
Germany coach Rick Boehm was just as impressed about the atmosphere.
“The home-team situation definitely helped Belarus with the great and positive fan support they had here. That gave them extra energy. They were fortunate enough to score the first goal which was important since all games here were very close,” he said after the game.
Going into the last game, Germany had its biggest advantage in the net. The two goalies Mirko Pantkowski (92,68%) and Jonas Steinmann (90,48%) were leading the tournament in save percentage. Pantkowski got the start against Belarus while Dmitri Rodik was in the net for the host team that had the better start.
The hosts scored two quick goals within 94 seconds. Captain Maxim Sushko capitalized on a breakaway and set up Igor Martynov’s 1-0 goal. At 4:48 a great shot of Ilya Litvinov went into the net to make it a two-goal lead.
The atmosphere at the Chizhovka Arena was incredible. 9,200 spectators filled the arena that was built as second venue of the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. But before the first intermission Niklas Postel used his chance one-on-one in front of the goalie to cut the lead. It was his second goal and the tournament-leading eighth point for him.
Both teams had a lot of traffic around the goal crease in the second frame. Belarus was again the team to score first through Leonid Ivanoski’s shot on a man advantage. 87 seconds later Charlie Jahnke one-timed the puck after a nice assist from Timo Walther. The teams took many penalties and while playing 4-on-3 the Germans tied the game at three through a shot from Christoph Kiefersauer.
“I think we were well prepared to play the game but we did start poorly. Belarus came out in the first period so much stronger and got a two-goal lead. Our team showed a great deal of character to come back, we tied 3-3 but in the last period Belarus had more scoring chances and deserved the victory,” Germany coach Boehm said. “They played well, they played clever, they didn’t give us a great deal of scoring chances.”
Early in the third period it was again Faikov’s team that took the lead. Sergei Pishuk entered the game sheet with the game-winner at 4:01 and with 1:48 left in regulation time, even before Germany was able to pull the goalie, Martynov scored his second goal of the night to seal the win for Belarus, 5-3!
“Before the tournament we understood that each game was a final. I'm glad with the team and our performance. The main reason for the win was that the players believed in the system. And we believed in the guys,” Faikov said.
Thanks to the tournament victory the Belarusian U18 national team will compete in the top division for the eighth time in history. The 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship will take place in the Slovak towns of Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves from 13 to 23 April 2017.
Germany, which came down from the top division last year, had to settle for the silver medals.
“We were very satisfied with how the team played and how the team presented itself on and off the ice. We were in position to win the tournament on the last day. That was our goal. But we didn’t reach it,” Boehm said. “But overall we were happy how the team played and about the excellent organization of the tournament.”
Kazakhstan beat Austria 5-2 on the last day and secured the bronze medals ahead of France (4th) and Norway (5th). Last-ranked Austria is relegated to next year’s Division I Group B.
The individual awards were given to Germany’s Mirko Pantkowski as best goaltender, Vladislav Martynyuk from Belarus as best defenceman and Sayan Daniyar from Kazakhstan as best forward.
Canada's Maxime Comtois #12 celebrates after a second period goal against Denmark's Mads-Emil Gransoe #20 during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship
Despite a 45-minute power outage between the first and second periods, Canada didn’t lose its energy in its opening 10-2 win over Denmark on Friday.
Jordan Kyrou led the way with four goals. That tied the single-game U18 record, which he now shares with Russia's Alexander Ovechkin and Slovakia's Marian Gaborik, among others.
"Obviously that’s a great feeling," said Kyrou. "I didn’t think that was true, but I guess it is. Obviously I’m just really excited, and happy for the team."
Tyson Jost had two goals and three assists, and William Bitten had a goal and two assists.
Beck Malenstyn, Maxime Comtois, and Mason Shaw also scored for Canada. Dante Fabbro had three assists. Nearly every Canadian chipped in offensively.
There are few instances in international hockey history of the lights going out at the venue. The infamous “Piestany Punchup” at the 1987 World Juniors in Czechoslovakia saw local officials turn out the lights while Canada and the Soviet Union brawled, with both teams incurring lengthy IIHF suspensions.
But this was totally different. The power outage affected the greater Grand Forks area in addition to the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
"That doesn’t happen too often," said Jost, the Canadian captain who has committed to playing at the University of North Dakota next season. "Some guys were giving me the gears: ‘What the heck’s going on, Jost? Why are the lights going off in your rink?’ There were some good laughs. I was really proud of how we responded and bounced back after that."
Fans of both teams waited patiently and graciously, and play resumed at 21:00 local time. So it wasn't really one of the darkest moments in IIHF history.
Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup and Joachim Blichfeldt scored for Denmark.
"We came out in the first period and we were all excited about playing Canada and everything," said Schmidt-Svejstrup. "Suddenly it’s 2-2 and we thought we had a chance. We just saw Latvia almost beat Sweden, so you never know. Then there was that big break. I actually thought we were going to go out and be ready, but they went out and they scored three quick goals. It was kind of downhill from there."
Canadian goalie Stuart Skinner had an easy night as his team outshot Denmark 51-9.
On February 12, 1949, Canada recorded the most lopsided victory in IIHF World Championship history, beating Denmark 47-0. Times have changed, and the Danes often give Canada a good battle at the senior level now. But at the U18 level, Canada's depth is harder to combat, and it showed here.
Canada opened the scoring on its first shot at 1:05. Stanley sent a soft one from the left point that Kyrou tipped through Danish starter Mads-Emil Gransoe’s pads.
Just 26 seconds later, Malenstyn made it 2-0. He attempted a backhand pass on the rush that bounced back to him off defenceman Daniel Andersen, and then put the puck into the open short side.
The Danes temporarily bounced back with two quick goals of their own.
At 5:31, Daniel Nielsen came down the right side and dished it to Schmidt-Svejstrup, who powered a low drive inside Skinner’s right post.
At 6:10, Blichfeldt scored his second power play goal of the tournament just 12 seconds into Denmark’s first man advantage on a rising shot.
Despite outshooting Denmark 18-5 in the first period, Canada couldn’t pull ahead. But the tide would turn after the blackout delay.
"Our training staff did a great job with us," explained Jost. "They got some nutrition in us and we hopped on the bikes. Took off our skates and then we did a little dynamic warm-up. Then it also helped that we got that on-ice warm-up for six or seven minutes there."
Canada got right back to work in Period Two. It took just 27 seconds for Kyrou to enter the Danish zone and whiz one high past Gransoe.
The Canadians went up 4-2 on a flukey play at 6:30. Comtois centred the puck from behind the net and it went in off Denmark's Nikolaj Krag as he slid into his own netminder.
It was 5-2 on the power play at 7:21 when Shaw moved into the slot and tipped Pascal Laberge's shot home.
Another power play goal at 7:55 made it 6-2, as Bitten banged a rebound past goalie Kasper Krog, who briefly stepped in to replace Gransoe.
Kyrou parked himself on the doorstep and backhanded in a loose puck for the seventh Canadian goal at 14:13. Gransoe was back in net now.
In the third period, Kyrou notched his fourth on another close-range play at 4:26. Jost added goals 3:40 apart in the last half of the third to round out the scoring at 10-2.
"I loved it," said Jost of Kyrou's four-goal outing. "He’s a special player and he’s a great guy off the ice too. Whenever you see someone like that have that kind of success, you can’t feel anything but happy for him."
Next up for Canada is the Czech Republic on Saturday. Denmark faces Finland on Sunday.
"The goal is to build on the things we did well tonight," said Canadian coach Shaun Clouston. "Play as a team, play as a group of five on the ice. Make sure we do a good job through the neutral zone."
"I feel like we have to put it behind us," said Schmidt-Svejstrup of this shellacking. "We have an hour-long skate tomorrow. We’ll work on some stuff, and then maybe we can get something going against the Finns."
The puck gets past Latvia's Mareks Mitens #30 in the first period while Regnars Udris #4, Silvestrs Selickis #24, and Sweden's Rickard Hugg #15 looks on during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship.
Jacob Moverare scored with 24 seconds left in overtime to lift Sweden to a 4-3 win over underdog Latvia. Dodging a bullet, Sweden outshot Latvia 47-15.
Moverare's goal came from a bad angle to the right of Latvian goalie Mareks Mitens. It spoiled an otherwise virtuoso performance between the pipes by Mitens in his U18 debut, reminiscent in a way of what Kristers Gudlevskis did versus Canada in Latvia's 2-1 loss in the 2014 Olympic quarter-final.
"It was really hard and completely painful at the end," said Mitens. "Probably the most painful thing. I’m really tired now. Thanks to our guys – they were battling till the end."
Jesper Bratt, Adam Tilander, and Alexander Nylander also scored for Sweden. Nylander tied the game with just 19 seconds left in regulation.
Of the Latvians, Nylander said: "They were really good at blocking our shots and we didn’t really get our pucks to the net, which probably gave them a little bit of energy. "
Erlends Klavins, Valters Apfelbaums, and Tomass Zeile scored for Latvia, which managed to stay in the game despite its huge territorial disadvantage, and then popped two goals in the third period to pull ahead temporarily.
The Swedes won silver each year from 2010 to 2012. They have never won U18 gold. Latvia finished ninth last year, matching its all-time high from 2010 and 2012.
"We have a system that we play and today it worked out," said top Swedish defenceman Timothy Liljegren. "But I think maybe we should have done more goals. It feels good to get two points."
The blue-and-yellow team got off to a quick start on Friday at the Ralph Engelstad Arena. Everything looked fine and dandy early on for coach Torgny Bendelin's crew.
At 1:26, Sweden opened the scoring on a dazzling solo rush by Bratt. After evading the defence and sifting the puck through Mitens’ legs, he twirled his stick in celebration.
At 9:28, Tilander made it 2-0 on the power play, hammering a drive from the right faceoff circle past the goalie’s blocker.
It took Latvia nearly 18 minutes into the first period to register its first shot on goal. Mitens made several fine saves before the buzzer to keep it close.
Mitens foiled Bratt on a Swedish 2-on-1 early in the second period.
Hanging around sometimes pays off. Could the Latvians come back?
On the rush, Pauls Svars fed Klavins and he got his second goal of the tournament with a sweet backhand deke, beating Swedish goalie Filip Larsson to make it 2-1 at 9:06.
With two unassisted goals early in the third period, Latvia shocked the crowd by taking the lead. Just 50 seconds in, Apfelbaums circled to the hash marks and flung a wrister past Larsson's blocker.
"It’s an amazing feeling when we tied the game," said Mitens. "Probably one of the best feelings you can have."
Then Latvia jumped into a 3-2 lead at 3:16. Zeile, the Latvian captain, caught the Swedish defence backing in and scored, once again on the blocker side.
Excited and energized, the Latvians started buzzing the Swedish net. The Swedes called a time out at 7:53 to restrategize.
Larsson made a great left pad save on Emils Ezitis midway through the period to keep it a one-goal game.
The Swedes pulled their netminder with 1:10 left, and it paid off. Nylander one-timed a slap shot from the left faceoff circle to tie it up.
There were marvelous chances to win it in overtime. Nylander put one off the crossbar with Sweden on a 4-on-3 man advantage. On a give-and-go, Renars Krastenbergs missed a wide-open net as he fell to his knees.
Sweden will face the powerhouse Americans on Saturday, while the Latvians get the host nation on Sunday.
"Maybe we came out a little bad in this game, but I think we’ll come out better against the U.S.," said Liljegren.
"We’ll fight till the end," said Mitens. "We don’t have anything to lose."
The only previous World U18 Championship encounter between Sweden and Latvia was on April 15, 2012. Sweden beat Latvia 3-1.
USA's Clayton Keller #19 scores a first period goal on this shot against Russia's Maxim Zhukov #30 during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship
Home sweet home. The U.S. started the 2016 U18 tournament off right, pounding Russia 8-2 to the delight of the home fans in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Kailer Yamamoto stepped up with two goals and two assists, and Clayton Keller had two goals and an assist.
Logan Brown potted a goal and an assist. William Lockwood, Kieffer Bellows, and Joey Anderson all scored one apiece. Defenceman Chad Krys had two helpers.
"Being the first game, there’s always emotion and you come out excited," said head coach Danton Cole. "I thought they did well."
Bottom line: it’s going to be tough for anyone to knock off the defending champions. Relying on the depth and talent of their National Team Development Program, the Americans have won six out of the last seven U18 tournaments. They're shooting for their third straight title here.
"It was a good game," said Yamamoto. "Russia definitely played their hearts out. I think we got a couple of flukey goals in the third period. It’s just good to get the win."
Yaroslav Alexeyev and Ivan Kozlov replied for Russia, which was outshot 45-22.
The Russians have sent an inexperienced and little-known roster to this tournament, consisting largely of U17 players. Only three players on the team are 1998-born.
Russia has won the U18 three times (2001, 2004, 2007), but looks like a long shot to repeat the feat this year.
"We’re a young team, obviously," said top 1998-born defenceman Mikhail Sergyachov. "We didn’t do a lot in the offensive zone, and in the defensive zone we didn’t play our structure. But we were trying. We’re trying to improve ourselves and show ourselves, do something."
Keller opened the scoring unassisted at 3:44, racing in and releasing a low shot that squeezed past the right pad of Russian starter Maxim Zhukov.
Just 44 seconds later, the U.S. jumped into a 2-0 lead. Trent Frederic dished a backhanded saucer pass to Sanchez, who scored high to the stick side.
Russia promptly cut the deficit to 2-1. At 5:17, after Dmitri Samurokov came in off the center point and fired a shot, Alexeyev converted the rebound from in tight.
Zhukov had to be sharp to foil Brown on a clear-cut break with just over seven minutes left in the first period.
Sanchez nearly gave the Americans a two-goal lead when he zinged one off the crossbar early in the middle frame. Russia came right back down the ice, and Kozlov made it 2-2 at 2:21 when he surprised U.S. goalie Jake Oettinger with a wrap-around goal.
The U.S continued to come on strong, with Keller testing Zhukov from different angles. Chants of “USA! USA!” rose from the stands.
Mistakes would prove to be Russia's undoing.
At 16:18, Keller made it 3-2, cutting down the right side and fooling Zhukov with a bad-angle backhander from the goal line.
"That guy, I don’t know how he does it, on the bench," Yamamoto said admiringly of Keller. "I’m still speechless from the game, from what he’s done out there."
It only took another 14 seconds for Bellows to stretch the gap to 4-2, as he busted in alone and slid it through the goalie’s pads.
In the third period, Yamamoto put the game out of reach, getting the 5-2 tally at 6:19 during a goal mouth scramble.
"I think he was getting a little bit tired in there and we took advantage of that," said Yamamoto of the Russian goalie. "It was good."
Defenceman Mikhail Kozlov was unable to move Anderson from the front of the net, and the American assistant captain lifted home a power play rebound to make it 6-2 at 7:30.
Yamamoto got the seventh U.S. goal with a man advantage marker, as Russian blueliner Alexander Alexeyev inadvertently tipped the puck past his own netminder. Zhukov was relieved by backup Danil Tarasov for the rest of the game.
"Kailer played a great game," said Cole. "He’s a warrior. He’s not the biggest guy out there, but he’s in front of the net and he’s scoring goals there and he’s making plays."
Brown rounded out the scoring with six minutes left.
Before the game, an opening ceremony with youngsters brandishing the flags of the 10 competing nations took place. Tournament chairman Frank Gonzalez declared the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship open.
Finland's Otto Somppi #24, Robin Salo #4, and Eeli Tolvanen #20 celebrate a first period goal against Czech Republic during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship.
Finland blew a 3-1 first period lead, but came away with two points against the Czechs. Janne Kuokkanen scored the only goal in the shootout in a 4-3 victory.
The Finns, who won the silver medal in 2015, scored two power play goals in the first period en route to the win.
It was a reasonably successful debut for Finnish head coach Jussi Ahokas. The best coach for this Nordic nation's U18 squads in recent years has been Mika Marttila, who helmed not only the 2015 silver team, but also bronze-medal teams in 2009 and 2013.
Shots on goal favored Finland 47-29.
The Czechs last medaled in 2014, with a surprising silver. Prior to that, they took bronze in 2002, 2004, and 2006.
Eeli Tolvanen opened the scoring midway through the first period with the man advantage. But Filip Zadina promptly tied it up for the Czechs at 12:31.
Finland went ahead again less than two minutes later when Kristian Vesalainen scored. And with Czech forward Daniel Kurovsky off for holding, Emil Oksanen gave the Finns a 3-1 lead.
The Czechs had a great chance to get back in the game with a two-man advantage for 1:57 midway through the second. However, they failed to cash in.
But a two-goal cushion wasn't enough to guarantee Finland a victory. The Czechs worked hard and focused on puck control, and it paid dividends.
Radovan Pavlik brought the Czechs to 3-2 at 5:41 of the third on a Zadina set-up. The Czech bench rejoiced when Petr Kodytek knotted the score with 7:49 left.
Finland got a chance to win it in overtime when David Kvasnicka went off for holding with 10 seconds remaining, but nothing transpired.
The Finns will take on the Slovaks on Saturday, while the Czechs face Canada that day.
Norway 1 - 5 Finland 
France 1 - 2
Germany 
Slovakia 1 - 2
Austria 1 - 3 Hungary 
Latvia 
Switzerland 1 - 2
Posted
U.S. demolishes Latvia, 12-1
Americans lead Group A with nine points
The puck gets past Latvia's Niklavs Rauza #1 for a first period goal while USA's William Lockwood #10 looks on during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship
If Neil Young rewrote one of his hits for the U.S., it’d be “Scorin’ in the Free World.” The hosts pounded Latvia 12-1 for their third straight win on Sunday.
Trent Frederic scored a hat trick and added an assist. Kailer Yamamoto potted two goals, and Adam Fox, Kieffer Bellows, and Clayton Keller had a goal and two assists apiece as the U.S. moved closer to wrapping up top seed in Group A.
James Sanchez, Joey Anderson, Zachary Walker, and Nick Pastujov also scored for the Americans. All in all, 16 different U.S. players recorded a point or more.
"It just shows you the depth of this team," said Yamamoto. "They definitely picked a great team for this tournament and I’m just looking forward to going to the medal round."
Vladislavs Nazarovs replied for Latvia, which lost its previous two games in extra time.
This outcome was predictable, if even more lopsided than past history might have led you to anticipate. The U.S. won the previous two U18 meetings with Latvia 8-0 (2007) and 7-1 (2013). The defending champions are gunning for their tenth U18 gold medal since this tournament began in 1999.
Final shots favored the U.S. 58-23. They have outscored their rivals 26-4 so far.
This was the third-biggest margin of victory in tournament history, equalling the 12-1 U.S. victory over Belarus in 2006. Canada set the record with a 15-1 win over Denmark in 2005.
The Americans will complete their preliminary schedule against Switzerland on Tuesday. Latvia gets another chance to crack the win column against Russia on Monday.
"The next game is a big one," said U.S. head coach Danton Cole. "We’ll get a day of rest and get ready for Switzerland and keep moving through it. When you’re done with one game, the next one’s the most important."
The Latvians did their best early on, though they ran into penalty trouble with a bench minor for too many men and a cross-checking minor to Olafs Berzins, which gave the U.S. an extended two-man advantage.
On a subsequent Latvian power play, Oettinger had to be sharp to foil Erlends Klavins from point blank range. And then hope swiftly died for the Baltic nation.
At 14:27, the U.S. drew first blood. Sanchez rushed the puck into the Latvian zone, pulled up in the right faceoff circle, and squeezed a bad-angle shot through Niklavs Rauza, who his first start in goal for Latvia.
Two minutes later, Anderson gobbled up a Bellows rebound and flung it past a lunging Rauza to make it 2-0.
Of his line's chemistry together, Bellows said: "I feel like as the season has gone on, it’s gotten even better."
Late in the period, Walker took a run at Emils Gegeris, who was clearing the puck out of Latvia’s zone. The Latvian forward crumpled to the ice while trying to dodge the hit and was helped off, while Walker was penalized.
Just 30 seconds into the second period, the U.S. moved the puck up ice beautifully for a 3-0 lead. Logan Brown sent it cross-ice to Yamamoto, who snapped it high to the glove side for his third goal.
"We had some good transitions from the D zone and I think our play in the offensive zone was pretty good," Yamamoto said.
At 8:26, playing shorthanded, Nazarovs zoomed down the right side and zinged a shot that tipped off the inside of U.S. captain Ryan Lindgren’s leg and fooled Oettinger to cut the deficit 3-1.
The American response was swift and uncompromising: three goals in just 1:09.
At 9:38, Walker put one through Rauza, who looked frustrated, and then Frederic scored top corner at 10:03.
Latvian coach Eriks Miluns pulled Rauza in favor of Gustavs Grigals. It didn’t make any difference.
Fox was allowed to waltz in unobstructed for the 6-1 goal at 10:47. According to USA Hockey, in the 6-1 win over Sweden, Fox became the single-season NTDP points leader among defenceman, including both regular season and U18 World Championship play.
The Latvians called their timeout and that didn’t make any difference either.
Yamamoto scored his fourth of the tournament at 6:31 of the second as he tried to feed it across the goal mouth and Grigals inadvertently knocked it into his own net with his blocker hand.
At 17:30, it was 8-1 when Pastujov walked in over the blueline, cut to the left and scored over Grigals’s glove.
In the third period, Keller made it 9-1 with a nice drag-and-drop move at 8:04. He then set up Bellows beautifully on a turnover for the tenth U.S. goal.
Penalties added up in the dying stages as Latvia's frustration with the lopsided score boiled over. Frederic added a power play tally at 15:24 to make it 11-1.
"From our side, I was OK with how things were going," said Cole. "I told guys: ‘Stay out of it. You don’t have to expose yourself and get run from behind. Protect yourself.’"
U.S. forward Graham McPhee was ejected with a five-minute major with 3:14 left for a high hit on Valters Apfelsbaums in the neutral zone.
Frederic's shorthanded goal on a breakaway at 18:44 rounded out the scoring at 12-1.
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