Jakub Stancl broke the deadlock with just 11.7 seconds left in the third period and the Czech Republic surprised Canada 3-2 on Tuesday in the quarter-finals of the World Junior Hockey Championship.
Stancl finished the match with two goals while Tomas Cibulka scored the other goal for Czechia. Michael Hrabal blocked 28 shots to sign the victory.
Matthew Wood and Jake Furlong responded for Canada. Mathis Rousseau suffered the defeat after starting a fifth consecutive game at this under-20 tournament.
“It’s a bit like the end of the world,” said Canada captain Fraser Minten. It was an incredible opportunity for all of us in our careers. You never know if you will have another opportunity to represent your country or perform on the world stage. »
Canada dictated play for the majority of the final 40 minutes before Stancl fired a shot that hit defender Oliver Bonk to beat Rousseau.
“I feel like I held my stick too tight,” said Canadian forward Matthew Poitras. I couldn’t find the back of the net. It’s disappointing. I feel like I let the guys down, let the country down. »
This matchup was a repeat of the gold medal game played in Halifax last year. Canada triumphed 3-2 in overtime. Five players from the Czech Republic were back this year while Owen Beck was the only representative from the maple leaf to have experience in this tournament.
“Our heads are spinning a little bit right now,” Beck said. I’m not sure what happened. That’s a horrible way to end things here. »
Winger Matthew Savoie returned to the Canadian lineup Tuesday after missing the 6-3 win over Germany with a lower-body injury.
Conor Geekie was also back for Canada. The imposing striker avoided a suspension after performing a check on the head of a German player on Sunday.
Trailing 2-0 against the Czech Republic after one period, Rousseau robbed Eduard Sale during a two-on-one surge early in the second period.
Wood then took a pass from Easton Cowan and scored at 3:43 to cut the lead to 2-1.
Canada continued to apply pressure and Furlong finally tied the game with 3:20 remaining in the second period. His point shot beat Hrabal while Geekie was stationed in front of the net.
The Canadians failed to take the lead on a power play early in the third period and Brayden Yager then hit the post on a shot from the slot.
Savoie had a great chance to score with a little over four minutes left in regulation, but his shot missed the target.
Canada, which was without five currently eligible professional players and two others injured, had a good start to the game, but missed a few shooting opportunities.
The Czechs took the lead when defenseman Noah Warren made a bad read in the neutral zone. Stancl fired a shot from the near side which deceived Rousseau’s vigilance.
The Czech Republic then obtained a penalty shot, following a stick hit from Warren against Dominik Rymon. Rousseau closed the door while taking out the harpoon.
Rousseau, however, looked bad on the Czechs’ second goal. Cibulka’s point shot slipped past the Halifax Mooseheads goalie.