🇨🇦 Canada 3-0 Czechia 🇨🇿
World Junior Championship Preliminary Round
ČEZ Aréna, Pardubice 🇨🇿
Wednesday, 26 December 2007

John Tavares scored two power-play goals, Steven Stamkos had three assists and Jonathan Bernier was brilliant in net, making 41 saves, to lead Canada to a 3-0 triumph over the Czech Republic in the first day of competition at the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship on Wednesday.

The Canadians have now won a record 19 straight games at the World Juniors, surpassing their own record of 18 consecutive victories set from 1994-97.

Canada, the three-time defending gold medalist, also ran its unbeaten streak against the Czechs to 11 games, including nine triumphs.

Playing in front of a partisan crowd, the Czechs came out flying in the first period and had the better scoring chances early on but Bernier – named Canada’s Player of the Game – stood his ground and was the difference. The Lewiston netminder is stingy when it comes to giving up rebounds and the Czechs had virtually no opportunity to convert on second chances.

“We didn’t have the start we wanted. They were flying but he (Bernier) was amazing,” said Matthew Halischuk, who also scored for the Canadians. “He is so calm back there and does a great job for us.”

Bernier was particularly sharp when the Czechs had a two-man advantage for 31 seconds in the first period, but his best save of the game came in the seventh minute of play of the opening period when Jakub Voráček, who plays for the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, intercepted a soft pass for a short breakaway, Bernier came out to challenge his Czech opponent and foiled him with a blocker save.

Shawn Matthias was robbed of a goal by netminder Michael Neuvirth, a member of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, early in the second period.

Matthias was hovering at the lip of the crease, waiting to pounce on a rebound, and when the puck came to him he whipped a wrist shot that Neuvirth came across the crease nab with his glove.

The Canadians got on the scoreboard at 11:21 of the second on a power play when Tavares completed a superb three-way passing play that was started when Stamkos sent a cross-ice pass to defenceman Logan Pyett.

Pyett’s tape-to-tape pass was deflected into the Czech net by Tavares, the youngest player on Canada’s roster.

Stamkos earned his second assist of the game when Halischuk stuffed a rebound into the Czech net at 3:57 of the third period to ice the win for Canada.

“Stamkos made a great play and I was just there and I kept whacking at the puck,” said Halischuk. “It was a big goal for us and it’s great to get the win.”

Tavares and Stamkos combined once again for Canada’s third goal at 11:53 of the final period to complete the scoring.

Tavares, Stamkos and Bernier all made their IIHF World Junior Championship debuts in the win.

Both Tavares (2009 eligible) and Stamkos (2008 eligible) are still auditioning for NHL teams, while Bernier, a first-round pick (11th overall) of the Los Angeles Kings in 2006, became the tenth Canadian goaltender to record a shutout in his World Junior debut, the first since Réjean Beauchemin recorded a 9-0 win over Germany at the 2005 tournament in North Dakota.

Canada has little time to rest. They play Slovakia on Thursday afternoon and then face Sweden on Saturday.

“We played them in a pre-tournament game and beat them,” said Halischuk of the Slovakians. “They’re a hard-working team and we’ll be ready for them. We’ll put this win behind us and get ready for the Slovaks pretty quick.”

BOXSCORE
1st Period
01:23 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Stamkos, elbowing
02:52 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Pyett, hooking
08:01 – 🇨🇿 PEN – Ondráček, tripping
15:02 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Legein, tripping
18:12 – 🇨🇿 PEN – Ondráček, tripping

2nd Period
23:30 – 🇨🇿 PEN – Szturc, high sticking
28:14 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Holzapfel, high sticking
30:26 – 🇨🇿 PEN – Suchý, interference
31:21 – 🇨🇦 PP GOAL – Tavares (Pyett, Stamkos)
37:41 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Gillies, charging

3rd Period
43:57 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Halischuk (Godfrey, Stamkos)
45:09 – 🇨🇿 PEN – Květoň, interference
45:09 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Legein, slashing
48:10 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Gillies, tripping
51:43 – 🇨🇿 PEN – Jordán, tripping
51:53 – 🇨🇦 PP GOAL – Tavares (Stamkos, Godfrey)
52:18 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Godfrey, holding
55:21 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Hickey, holding
58:41 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Giroux, slashing

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇨🇦 Bernier (44-44)
L: 🇨🇿 Neuvirth (27-30)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇨🇦 10+11+9 = 30
🇨🇿 13+12+19 = 44

ROSTERS
🇨🇦 Goaltenders: Jonathan Bernier, Steve Mason. Defence: Karl Alzner, Drew Doughty, Josh Godfrey, Thomas Hickey, Logan Pyett, Luke Schenn, P.K. Subban. Forwards: Zach Boychuk, Colton Gillies, Claude Giroux, Matthew Halischuk, Riley Holzapfel, Stefan Legein, Brad Marchand, Shawn Matthias, Wayne Simmonds, Steven Stamkos, Brandon Sutter, John Tavares, Kyle Turris.
🇨🇿 Goaltenders: Jakub Kovář, Michal Neuvirth. Defence: Antonín Bořuta, Michal Jordán, Tomáš Kundrátek, Martin Parýzek, Jan Piskáček, Patrik Prokop, Jiří Suchý. Forwards: Daniel Bártek, Michael Frolík, Zbyněk Hampl, Pavel Kuběna, David Květoň, Martin Látal, Radek Meidl, Jiří Ondráček, Jan Semorád, Jakub Sklenář, Petr Strapáč, Roman Szturc, Jakub Voráček.

Article Credit: Hockey Canada