🇨🇦 Canada 4-0 Norway 🇳🇴
World Junior Championship Preliminary Round
Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver 🇨🇦
Thursday, 29 December 2005

Team Canada got its third straight win Thursday at the 2006 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, shutting out Norway 4-0 in front of 16,083 fans at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.

Canada’s Luc Bourdon led the way with a goal and an assist and Jonathan Toews added two helpers. Bourdon was also named Player of the Game for Canada.

“I think the guys played pretty well today,” said Bourdon. “We put a lot of shots on net.”

Canadian goalie Justin Pogge only saw 12 shots, but made some key saves when called upon to collect his first goose egg of the tournament.

“I felt pretty good out there,” said Pogge. “I didn’t get too many shots, but I battled through traffic, which I wasn’t doing yesterday.”

Despite allowing four goals, Norwegian netminder Lars Haugen also looked sharp, stopping 46 of 50 shots and keeping the game respectable for the Norwegian squad.

“We’re trying to learn,” says Haugen. “But most of us have never played at this level before. We know we’re not expected to win, but it’s important for us to make our country proud.”

The last time these two teams faced each other at a World Junior Tournament was 1991, but by the end of this game, they looked like old rivals. Tempers mounted throughout the game and finally culminated in an on-ice brawl in the final seconds.

“We felt they were taking liberties with our goalie at the end of the game,” says Canadian defenceman Cam Barker. “We didn’t feel like we went overboard.”

In all, the two teams racked up 160 penalty minutes (78 to Norway, 82 to Canada), the highest-single game total in Team Canada history. The previous high was 94 (57 to Canada, 37 to Sweden) back in 1992. After the game, Head Coach Brent Sutter was clearly not happy with the officiating.

“I’m kind of sitting here wondering what a call is and what isn’t,” said Sutter. “You can barely touch a guy’s stick or skate now. As a fan, it’s not entertaining, and as a coach, it makes it difficult to coach.

Hockey Canada President Bob Nicholson echoed Sutter’s statement.

“This isn’t a Team Canada issue. It’s a situation that’s happening with all the officials. Coaches are telling the players to get better, so we certainly want to see the officials get better.

Both teams started the game at a sluggish pace. It was hard for either side to get any sort of momentum, as a total of 14 penalties were called in the first frame alone.

Canadian captain Kyle Chipchura had the best chance early on, as he beat Haugen through the legs, but the puck ended up just sliding by the goalpost.

Canada finally opened up the scoring at 15:27 of the first period. With Norwegian defenceman Erik Grafsrønningen off for holding, Barker took a pass at the point from Michael Blunden, skated in and beat Haugen low to the glove side.

In the second period, Canada’s offence came alive. With the man advantage, David Bolland knocked home a rebound at 14:50, as he managed to get his stick on a loose puck in the crease and shoveled the puck home.

Thirty-four seconds later, Canada went up 3-0 when Chipchura put home a backhand on his second attempt after taking a pass from Jonathan Toews.

Luc Bourdon made it 4-0 when he skated in on the left wing after taking a cross ice pass from Toews and snapped a hard shot past Haugen.

“It’s always fun to score goals,” said Bourdon. “That’s why we play hockey. After putting lots of shots on goal, it’s great to score.”

On Saturday, Canada will play its biggest game of the tournament versus the USA. The Americans have earned two wins so far in the tournament, and will face Switzerland Friday before the most hyped match-up of the Round Robin.

“I can’t wait to play (the Americans),” said Pogge. “They’re a good team and we’re a good team so we match up pretty well.”

BOXSCORE
1st Period
02:48 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Russell, charging
03:55 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Holøs, hooking
07:17 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Bertram, interference
08:08 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Bonsaksen, interference
08:08 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Downie, roughing
09:06 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Roest, interference
12:40 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Barker, tripping
14:57 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Grafsrønningen, holding
15:27 – 🇨🇦 PP GOAL – Barker (Blunden)
16:46 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Grafsrønningen, roughing
17:15 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Bonsaksen, high sticking
18:31 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Downie, cross checking
19:16 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Østli, holding
19:27 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Bolland, high sticking

2nd Period
20:31 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Parent, roughing
21:42 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Holøs, holding
21:42 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Østli, hooking
26:51 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Bolland, charging
27:21 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Holøs, hooking
28:50 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Letang, delay of game
32:04 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Bourdon, holding
33:02 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Holøs, holding
34:50 – 🇨🇦 PP GOAL – Bolland (Letang, Bourdon)
35:16 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Chipchura (Toews, Blunden)
36:41 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Bourdon (Toews, O’Marra)
38:30 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Bonsaksen, cross checking

3rd Period
41:17 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Downie, hooking
44:00 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Nygård, high sticking
45:54 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Bonsaksen, cross checking
48:37 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Bertram, slashing
50:12 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Downie, holding
52:25 – 🇳🇴 PEN – team, too many players
57:28 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Grafsrønningen, boarding
59:01 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Roest, roughing
59:01 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Downie, roughing
59:44 – 🇨🇦 PEN – O’Marra, checking to the head minor + 10 min. misconduct
59:54 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Høygård, slashing + roughing double minor + 10 min. misconduct
59:54 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Pyatt, roughing double minor + 10 min. misconduct
59:54 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Grafsrønningen, roughing double minor + 10 min. misconduct
59:54 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Bertram, roughing double minor + 10 min. misconduct
59:54 – 🇳🇴 PEN – Jensen, roughing double minor + 10 min. misconduct
59:54 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Barker, roughing double minor + 10 min. misconduct

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇨🇦 Pogge (13-13)
L: 🇳🇴 Haugen (46-50)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇨🇦 12+20+18 = 50
🇳🇴 4+4+5 = 13

ROSTERS
🇨🇦 Goaltenders: Devan Dubnyk, Justin Pogge. Defence: Cam Barker, Luc Bourdon, Kris Letang, Ryan Parent, Sasha Pokulok, Kris Russell, Marc Staal. Forwards: Daniel Bertram, Michael Blunden, Dave Bolland, Dustin Boyd, Kyle Chipchura, Andrew Cogliano, Blake Comeau, Steve Downie, Guillaume Latendresse, Ryan O’Marra, Benoit Pouliot, Tom Pyatt, Jonathan Toews.
🇳🇴 Goaltenders: Lars Haugen, Ruben Smith. Defence: Alexander Bonsaksen, Henrik Borge, Eirik Grafsrønningen, Jonas Holøs, Jonas Nygård, Dennis Sveum, Lars Løkken Østli. Forwards: Kristian Forsberg, Martin Hagen, Stian Høygård, Joakim Jensen, Marius Mathisrud, Mathis Olimb, Niklas Roest, Morten Rolstad, Martin Røymark, Per Ferdinand Stensund, Fredrik Thinn, Mathias Trygg, Mats Zuccarello.

Article Credit: Hockey Canada