Ice Hockey IIHF World Championships 2017

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Sweden - Denmark  6-1

HIGHLIGHTS

 

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USA - Latvia  6-1

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Czech Republic - Finland  2-1

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Canada - Russia  5-3

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Under 20 Top Division World Championships in Canada

 

Day 2 Schedule (27th December 2016)

(GMT -5)

 

Group A (in Montreal)

13:00  Czech Republic vs Switzerland

17:30  Denmark vs Finland

 

Group B (in Toronto)

16:00  Latvia vs Russia

20:00  Canada vs Slovakia

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Czech Republic - Switzerland  3-4 after OT

 

 

 

 

 

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Czech Republic - Switzerland  3-4 after OT

 

Hischier plays hero

Swiss open with dramatic OT win over Czechs

 

Budding superstar Nico Hischier scored the overtime winner at 0:23 and added two assists as the Swiss topped the Czechs 4-3 in their opener on Tuesday.

 

Swiss assistant captain Damien Riat fed Hischier a breakaway pass and the 17-year-old sniper from the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads beat Czech goalie Jakub Skarek through the five-hole.

 

Riat also had a goal and two assists. Captain Calvin Thurkauf added a goal and a helper, and Loic In Albon also scored for Switzerland. Goalie Joren van Pottelberge shone with 36 saves.

The last time Switzerland won a preliminary-round game was two years ago on this date in Toronto, and it was a 5-2 win over the Czechs. Switzerland, under new head coach Christian Wohlwend, is looking to improve on back-to-back ninth-place finishes at the last two World Juniors.

 

Filip Chlapik scored twice for the Czechs and Radek Koblizek added a single.

 

The Swiss showed resilience in pre-tournament play when they rallied from a 3-0 deficit against Canada before losing 4-3 in overtime. That quality was evident again in their Bell Centre debut, as they were outplayed early on, but found a way to succeed.

 

The Czechs, who last won World Junior gold in 2001, are usually among the tournament's most mercurial squads. And after edging defending champion Finland 2-1 in their opener, they couldn't down a lesser opponent despite outshooting Switzerland 39-22 -- even though they came back after trailing 3-1.

 

In a fast-paced, scoreless first period, it was a rough welcome back to the World Juniors for Riat. The Swiss assistant captain collided heavily with big Czech defenceman Jakub Zboril in open ice and later took a puck in the face.

 

The Czechs couldn't neutralize Hischier. In the 2017 NHL Draft, the 17-year-old could supplant Nino Nieddereiter (chosen fifth overall by the New York Islanders in 2010) as the highest-drafted Swiss ever. In this game, he exceeded his entire output (two assists in six games) at last year's tournament in Helsinki.

 

Halfway through the second period, Hischier deftly centred the puck from the side boards to In Albon at the hash marks. In Albon, a 19-year-old World Junior rookie who plays for Lausanne, squeezed a quick wrister through Skarek.

 

The Czechs ran into penalty trouble, taking three straight minors, and the Swiss made them pay with the man advantage. With 3:57 left in the middle frame, Riat took a pass from Hischier and unleashed a shot from the slot, forcing Skarek to make a left pad save. Thurkauf, the Swiss captain, banged in the rebound for a 2-0 lead.

 

At 5:02 of the third, the Czechs got some life when Koblizek scored to make it 2-1, taking a pass from Zboril on the rush and zipping one over van Potteberghe's glove. 

But Zboril was sent off for cross-checking Yannick Zehnder from behind into the boards, and the Swiss quickly capitalized. Riat stretched the lead to 3-1 at 8:34 when he zipped a high shot from the middle past Skarek, with Thurkauf screening in front. 

The Czechs made it 3-2 just over two minutes later with a power play goal of their own. From the top of the right faceoff circle, Chlapik sent a zinger past van Pottelberge.

Hischier was nearly the goat, as he was in the penalty box for high-sticking when the Czechs tied it up with 17 seconds left and their goalie pulled. Michael Spacek, who scored the winner versus Finland, sent it to Chlapik and he scored from the faceoff circle. 

 

This was the third Swiss victory over the Czech Republic in World Junior history. The first one came in the 1998 bronze medal game (4-3 in a shootout) in Zurich.

 

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Latvia - Russia  1-9

 

 

 

 

 

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Latvia - Russia  1-9

 

Russia rebounds with win

Latvia falls to 0-2 after one-sided loss

 

 

Russia scored three unanswered goals in the first period en route to a big 9-1 win over Latvia. With the win it improves to 1-1 while Latvia falls to 0-2.

 

The Russians were right back at it less than 18 hours after leaving the ice last night, a 5-3 loss to Canada. They scored early to take all hope out of the Latvian chances and didn’t let up. 

 

"We got back to the hotel quickly last night, got some food and a good night's sleep," captain Kirill Kaprizov said. "We were well rested for today."

 

"We scored three quick goals and after that controlled the game," said Yakov Trenin of Russia. "Yesterday [against Canada] we were nervous. It was our first game, and there were 18,000 people, but tonight we were much better."

 

Kaprizov led the way with a hat trick and two assists. Linemates Alexander Polunin (two goals, two assists) and Mikhail Vorobyov (four assists) added to the statistical onslaught which saw the trio record 13 scoring points.

 

"We felt more comfortable today, and once the goals started to come it was fun," Kaprizov added. "Today, it all started to come together for our line. We had a bit of luck and were moving the puck well."

 

Damil Yurtaikin opened the scoring when he drove hard down the left wing, outmuscled Rihards Puide, and made a nice deke on Gustavs Grigals at 5:33.

 

Latvia had a great chance midway through the period with a four-minute penalty to Polunin, but although they had some chances, they were shut out. When Polunin came out of the box, he broke up the middle and beat Grigals with a shot along the ice between the pads to make it 2-0.

 

Pavel Karnaukhov made it 3-0 at 17:39, giving Russia all the goals they’d need. Grigals couldn’t control Vadim Kudako’s point shot, and Karnaukhov was there to swat in the rebound.

 

Coach Eriks Miluns inserted backup goalie Denijs Romanovskis for the second period, and he was beaten on his first shot, a close-in one-timer by Kaprizov off a nice pass from Vorobyov.

 

Latvia's Rudolfs Balcers finally converted on a power play at 3:42 when he made a nice toe drag and shot to the short side, beating Vladislav Sukhachyov to make it 4-1.

 

Just 39 seconds later, though, Russia restored its four-goal lead when Polunin got his second, and 43 seconds after that Kirill Belyayev scored from in front. That spelled the end for Romanovskis, and Grigals went back into the blue ice for Latvia.

 

The Russians added three more in the third--all on the power play--to add salt to the wound, Kaprizov with two as well as an assist on a Trenin goal.

 

Both teams now enjoy a day off before returning to action on Thursday. Russia will play the United States in a much-anticipated matinee while Latvia plays Canada in the evening.

 

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@Agger this one is for you

 

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Denmark - Finland  3-2