Canada was unlucky in its quarterfinal match against the Czech Republic, being eliminated thanks to an ill-timed goal in the final seconds in a 3-2 loss Tuesday in Gothenburg, Sweden.
This is only the fourth time in its history that the representatives of the Maple Leaf have suffered elimination in the quarterfinals. The Czechs caused quite an upset, in addition to taking revenge for their defeat in last year’s final at the hands of Canada.
There were only 11 seconds left on the clock when Jakub Stancl beat Mathis Rousseau a second time. The forward directed a shot that deflected off the skate of defenseman Oliver Bonk, before ending up in the cage.
“We all know how difficult it is to win at this tournament, especially when you reach the quarterfinals,” head coach Alan Letang told TSN. […] This evening, unfortunately, luck was not on our side with this deviation on one skate. I don’t want to go back to last year, but the rebounds were going our way and not this year.”
“It’s a horrible feeling, one you never want to experience,” admitted Captain Fraser Minten. It sucks to have wasted an opportunity like this. […] It was important to me, even if the bitterness will remain for a while. It was a huge honor to have this chance.”
Rousseau tested
Canada lagged behind in this meeting, mainly due to a difficult first period. On Sunday, he also ended the preliminary phase and the year in unconvincing fashion in a 6-3 victory over Germany.
As for this meeting, the maple leaf awarded the first net. Stancl beat Rousseau with a good wrist shot midway through the first period.
The first 20 minutes were quite busy for the Quebec goalkeeper. He prevented the Czechs from quickly adding more by frustrating Dominik Rymon on a penalty shot. Except that Tomas Cibulka’s long shot, which the Halifax Mooseheads goalkeeper never saw, allowed his rivals to double their lead.
Return from the back
Matthew Wood and Jake Furlong provided the Canadian response in the second period. They knocked on the door 12 times in the third period, but Michael Hrabal was solid, finishing the game with 28 saves. Like Rousseau, the Czech goalkeeper played every minute of the tournament for his team.
“After the first third, we bounced back very well, playing probably our two best periods of the entire tournament, and that’s probably what’s most frustrating since we didn’t reach our level quickly enough,” explained Letang.
“I give credit to my men for coming back, but credit must also be given to the Czechs. They fought hard.”
This is the first time in five years that Canada will not play for a medal. In 2019, the team finished in sixth place, while they should take fifth place this time.