EDMONTON | Mason McTavish had one of the best offensive performances in Junior Team Canada history. Despite everything, it is for a defensive game that we will remember his time with ECJ in 2022.
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The save he made in extra time against the Finns, stopping a shot from Topi Niemela on the fly which was heading directly into an open net, was officially part of these historic moments that we will still talk about in several years.
“My stick was in the right place at the right time, I guess. I don’t even know why I ended up behind the guard! It was probably not the right positioning but in the end it worked. After, I went back to the bench and saw that KJ [Kent Johnson] was on the run. They were quite exciting minutes and I’m very happy to be on the safe side. »
Few in the stands, and even on the media catwalk, had realized what McTavish had just done in the heat of the moment, before seeing the replay video. One who didn’t miss anything at all was goalkeeper Dylan Garand.
“I just remember seeing the puck go over me, turning around and seeing Mason stop it. Immediately after the game, I picked up my phone and watched the replay. He stopped that puck on the fly, it’s completely crazy. This is the most beautiful stop I have ever seen! “, he concluded with a laugh.
A GOOD SCREEN
If the fans experienced a veritable roller coaster of emotions during the overtime period yesterday, this was also the case for the players who were on the bench.
“Elliot [Desnoyers] sat next to me and when he goes the puck he let out a: ”ah, fuck!”. In my head, it was over, told Nathan Gaucher. Afterwards, we leave, we score and we win. It’s a train of emotions but I think at the end of the day, we deserved it. »
“I don’t know how to describe it. I think I was unconscious throughout the extension, launched laughing Desnoyers. I was excited and you’re hoping the guys on the ice make the big plays to win. »
“I was discouraged. We all thought we lost on the bench. The puck went into the goal. I don’t know how he made the stoppage but the misfortune of some makes the happiness of others and it is we who are happy, ”added William Dufour.
With an Olympian calm from the beginning to the end of the tournament, head coach Dave Cameron believed that his captain’s game was only the return of the pendulum.
“That’s hockey. We’ve often said this to our players but when the two best teams meet, it’s going to be decided in two or three games, and Mason made this game. Afterwards, Stank [Logan Stankoven] and Johnny [Kent Johnson] scored the winning goal. That’s what makes the difference in a game like this. »