Defending champs start with win

Team Canada, winners of the gold medal in 2022 and 2023, started defence of their IIHF World Junior Championship title with a solid Boxing Day matinee win over a big and physical Team Finland, 5-2. It was the fifth win in a row for Canada over Suomi going back to 2020.

This marked the first time a Team Canada had ever played at the Scandinavium, an arena that opened in 1971 and previously co-hosted two Men’s World Championships, in 1981 and 2002. In both instances, though, Canada played elsewhere. (A WHA/Team Canada did play here in 1974 on its way to Moscow, but that wasn’t a true national team or an IIHF event.)

Both teams are back at it tomorrow. Canada plays Latvia in the evening, while the Finns take on Germany earlier in the day.

Both goalies were excellent in the opening period, although the only goal came off a shot Niklas Kokko would have liked to have back. He stopped the original shot from Denton Mateychuk, but Nate Danielson got the rebound, and his quick shot in front snuck under the arm of the Finnish goalie at 16:24 to give Canada the 1-0 lead.

Prior to the goal, Kokko was rock solid, flashing his glove to spoil Matthew Poitras’ sure goal. But the save of the game, and an early but clear candidate for save of the tournament, came courtesy of Mathis Rousseau at the other end. His falling-splits-and-glove-lunge save off a sure goal from Lenni Hameenaho was something to behold.

Teams exchanged goals in the second after an early post by Canada’s Jordan Dumais. Canada made it 2-0 at 13:41 on a bang-bang play in front. Danielson made the pass, and Owen Allard snapped it home off the post and back of Kokko’s leg. 

But two minutes later the Finns finally got on the board courtesy of a power play. Arttu Karki’s point shot was tipped over the glove of Rousseau by Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, one of five returning players from last year’s 5th-place squad and one of 16 players to have been on the team’s U18 roster in 2022 or 2023. 

Canada doubled its lead at 6:38 of the third after a video review. Canada’s Macklin Celebrini, the early favourite to be drafted first overall next year, knocked in a puck from in close, but it landed under Kokko’s pads and wasn’t clearly in until reviewed. The Canadians controlled the rest of the game, the threat of the first period now quelled and under control.

Poitras added an empty netter to seal the victory, but Finnish captain Jere Lassila made it a little closer, poking in a loose puck with 64 seconds left…