Men’s Hockey | You doubted? Team Canada reassures

(Beijing) Admit it: Canada’s roster didn’t inspire confidence. I guess you were even a little scared. Adam Cracknell? Eddie Pasquale? Jordan Weal? If they weren’t strong enough to play with the Canadiens, what will it be against national teams?

I assure you: Team Canada will not get in your way. On the contrary. Opening the tournament on Thursday against the Germans, the Canadians were pugnacious. Exhausting. Squeaky. The guys are too happy to be at the Games, and it shows. They get involved, they apply themselves, and they talk to each other as much on the ice as lawyers in a TV series. This enthusiasm has served them well; they easily defeated the Germans, 5-1.

“We really wanted to get out,” said defender Maxim Noreau. You can put a lot of pressure on the other team. We have good attackers who are quite robust. We took advantage of it at the start of the match. We created turnovers and we were able to score on our [occasions]. »

The Quebec veteran, who had participated in the 2018 Games, had a big game. His dangerous shot thwarted the German goalkeeper during a numerical superiority. Noreau generated several other great streaks on offense, and proved to be a mainstay around his net. He finished the game with three shots.

“He was great, launched his teammate Ben Street. Not for nothing does he wear a letter on his sweater [le A]. Tonight he played hard and scored a big goal for us on the power play. »

Another player who stood out was former Winnipeg Jets center Eric O’Dell. He set the tone early in the game by knocking Marco Nowak out of the game with a hard-hitting check.

“Nowak was skating behind the net with his head down, and I finished my check,” O’Dell said. Canada quickly found themselves outnumbered near the slot, which allowed them to open the scoring. “The team was able to build [sur la mise en échec], and we scored a few goals afterwards, so I was happy. ” With reason. He finished his night at work with two assists and a +2 differential. Interim head coach Jeremy Colliton was also very pleased with his veteran.

“His presence is so imposing. He uses his physique, he finds a way to make plays that go to the net. He set the tone early in the game. »

And the young people?

Kent Johnson is the one who stood out the most. Placed on the wing of Eric O’Dell, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ first-round pick moved the puck well, and proved to be a constant threat on offense. Owen Power was the most used player in the Canadian camp, with just under 20 minutes. Without being spectacular, the giant format defender played a good match, especially in his area. He went a few times deep into the opposing zone, without real success. Mason McTavish, on the first line, was more erased. Sign of the balance of the formation, all the Canadians played between 10 and 20 minutes, except one (Jack McBain).

Canada’s next game, against the United States, promises to be closer. The Americans rely on several young university students renowned for their skating skills. It will be a good test for Canadian veterans, probably a little slower, but with heart.

In the notebook

Surprise: Claude Julien, who was to miss the Games after falling on the ice last week, arrived in Beijing. He watched the game from the top of the bleachers, and he will sit behind the bench from the next game… Mélodie Daoust is back in training… Canadian prospect Sean Farrell scored a hat trick, more to add two assists in an 8-0 American victory over the Chinese.