Given all that transpired the last time these two teams met, and all that’s transpired over the past two years at the world juniors, Sunday night’s semifinal tilt between Canada and Czechia was only ever going to end in fireworks.
It finished as explosive as expected, the two squads battling through a wild, five-goal, third-period rollercoaster that saw Canada twice pull out a pivotal tying goal, and twice see the Czechs respond with a lead-restoring heartbreaker, before a bit of netfront chaos delivered Czechia the pivotal go-ahead tally with just 1:14 left on the clock.
When all was said and done, it was the Czech national anthem ringing out through Saint Paul, Minnesota’s Grand Casino Arena, the squad earning a 6-4 victory Sunday, and a date with Sweden in Monday’s gold-medal game.
For Canada, it’s yet another humbling moment on the world stage.
After defeating Czechia for the gold back in 2023, the Canadians have now been served a cold plate of revenge for three straight years, the Czechs eliminating Canada in the quarterfinals at the past two tournaments, and ousting the red-and-white in the semis this time around. But there’s little doubt that, in this one, Canada had its chances. And in the wake of a third straight run cut short before the gold-medal game, it’s the collection of near-misses, of inch-away chances, that will haunt the Canadians most.
No one came closer than Michael Hage. The Oakville, Ont., product and Montreal Canadiens prospect, has been a pivotal contributor for Canada all tournament — and had it all shaken out slightly differently, he could’ve been on this night, too.
The 19-year-old was a thorn in Czechia’s side all night and earned enough key moments to swing the game in Canada’s favour, wiring three pucks off the post over the course of the game. But it was in the final minutes of the second period, with the game tied 2-2, that Hage truly had a chance at glory — poking the puck past a Czech defender and enduring a slash for his troubles, Hage was awarded a penalty shot. A golden chance to restore Canada’s lead, with the puck on the stick of one of the team’s most prolific scorers at this tournament.
Hage flew in, faked a move to his backhand, swept it back to his forehand, and was tripped by netminder Michal Orsulak’s stick as he tried to dance across the crease. The officials deliberated. Hage was awarded a second penalty-shot attempt. He floated in again, cut to his left again, swept it to his forehand again — and was stymied by Orsulak, again.
A minute later, Czechia struck once more off a two-on-one, pushing Canada back onto its heels. It seemed a microcosm of the whole evening — Canada coming close, but ultimately unable to find that final finish; Czechia pouncing on every opportunity, making good on its chances.
The final result aside, there were no doubt bright spots for the Canadians. Calgary Flames prospect Zayne Parekh scored yet again to earn his 11th point of the tournament, leaving him just one away from tying the record for the most points put up by a Canadian defenceman at the world juniors (Alex Pietrangelo collected 12 in 2010). Fellow Flames prospect Cole Reschny shone too, tallying a briefly glorious tying goal four minutes into the third period, before Czechia equalized — Porter Martone did the same later in the frame, pulling out a key 4-4 tally before the Czechs again pulled ahead. And Utah Mammoth prospect Tij Iginla, who opened the scoring with a power-play tally late in the first period, seemed among the best wearing the Maple Leaf for most of the tilt.
Still, for a Canadian side that dominated offensively through the first five games of this tournament — putting up a tourney-leading 32 goals heading into Sunday night’s affair — it’s a fair bet this wasn’t the way the red-and-white thought they’d go down.
Martin injury forces Canada to abandon familiarity, throw lines into blender
One key factor that prevented Canada’s offence from firing on all cylinders was the injury that forced Brady Martin out of the tilt late in the first period. The Nashville Predators’ 2025 fifth-overall pick seemed to injure his right shoulder after flying into a collision with Czech defender Matyas Man. After he was seen wincing on the bench in pain late in the opening frame, Martin did not return for the start of the second period and remained out for the rest of the night.
The Kitchener, Ont., product had been crucial for Canada since the start of the tournament, and a key piece of one of the squad’s most important lines, the forward lining up alongside McKenna and Hage in Canada’s top six. With Dale Hunter and Co. electing to dress eight defencemen for the semifinal matchup, rather than an extra forward, Martin’s exit meant Canada had to spend the rest of the night juggling its lines, rotating players onto Hage’s wing.
Braeden Cootes, Martone and Reschny all got looks alongside McKenna and Hage over the course of the game, while McKenna saw shifts with Martone and Michael Misa, and with Cole Beaudoin and Sam O’Reilly.
There were moments of promise found in the on-the-fly combinations — Reschny’s tying goal, set up by Hage, came during his turn with the top-six duo. But there’s little doubt the plot twist upended Canada’s plans somewhat and played a role in its diminished offence.
Canada ultimately undone by lack of defensive poise, ill-timed mistakes
In a game that came down to the wire, that could’ve easily swung either way if not for a post here, a misfired pass there, the weight of every decision was magnified. And while Canada found plenty of opportunities to claw its way back, to nearly get this thing over the line, it gifted the opposition too many opportunities to do the same.
For much of the night, Canada’s defence found itself hounded by Czechia’s forecheckers — pushed back deep into the red-and-white’s zone, forced into ill-fated passes under pressure, the puck turned over to the opposition in dangerous areas. It was the case on Czechia’s first goal of the night, to tie the game; on its second, to take the lead; and on its third, to restore that lead.
Beyond the defensive stumbles, that sense of Canada wobbling when navigating the weight of the moment came in the game’s final minutes, too, during a chaotic sequence that saw both clubs trade marches to the penalty box.
It started with six minutes left on the clock, Canada trailing 4-3, when McKenna was sent to the box for cross-checking a Czechia forward during a battle in front of his netminder, Jack Ivankovic. Less than a minute into the Czechia power play, the Canadians were gifted a golden opportunity — a too-many-men call levelled the ice and offered Canada some time at four-on-four. But only moments later, Michael Misa was sent to the box too, penalized for playing the puck with his hand off the faceoff, negating the late-game gift and sending Czechia right back to the power play.
Ivankovic managed to hold Czechia at bay, and Martone pulled out a tying goal soon after all the penalties came off the board. But after the Czechs earned a dagger go-ahead goal with just 1:14 left to play, as time for a last-gasp Canadian offensive effort ticked down, Reschny put Czechia on the power play once more, the forward penalized for colliding with Orsulak on a night that had already seen two power plays awarded for goalie collisions.
There were simply too many ill-timed errors, and too many missed opportunities to outlast a Czechia side that seemed ready to fight tooth and nail for a win from the opening puck-drop. The result: a third straight year on the wrong end of this match-up, and a meeting with Finland on Monday for a chance at bronze.
from Sportsnet.ca https://ift.tt/sDiFx8B
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