About six seconds into the final game of the preliminary round between Canada and Germany, Conor Geekie landed a big hit on German defenceman Samuel Schindler. The violent contact was called a major penalty by the officials, and after review that call stood, resulting in a game misconduct for Geekie.
Germany, which came into the game as a heavy underdog, used the five-minute power play to get itself on the board. A good screen in front of the net forced Canadian goaltender Mathis Rousseau to look around the fronting forward. Julian Lutz sent the puck to the opposite side of the net to give his nation a 1-0 lead.
Soon after the five-minute penalty expired, Canada answered with a goal of its own, off the stick of the team’s leading scorer, Macklin Celebrini. On a three-on-three, he worked his way to the middle of the ice and fired a shot, which got past German goaltender Matthias Bittner.
Canada nearly made it a 2-1 game on what looked like an open net, but a perfectly timed slide by Gemany’s top-line centre, Roman Kechter, resulted in a save.
Getting a power play with consistent pressure following the goal, Canada did manage to grab that lead while one of Germany’s played was down behind the play after getting hit with a high stick. Brayden Yager took a pass from Fraser Minten and had the full net to shoot at. There was no miraculous save from a German skater on this occasion
Despite another power play on a boarding call, Canada did not extend its lead. The intermission arrived with the score 2-1 fir the Canadians.
On a power play early in the second period, Kechter tied the game, another great play from the forward, and another goal scored past a German screen in front of Rousseau.
As the period went on, Canada was consistently adding to its shot total, through not as much as it could have with all the possession it held. Many of their attempts looked dangerous, but passes often missed their intended target. Shots were 26-8 after two periods, yet the score was tied at two goals apiece.
Needing a goal to take advantage of their dominance, Canada got one on a give-and-go between Owen Beck and Carson Rehkopf. Rehkopf took the initial feed low into the zone to draw the attention of the Bittner, and Beck was completely open to send the puck into an open net.
Penalty trouble remained an issue for Canada as Jordan Dumais caught a German player in the face with his stick on an attempted shot, getting called for a four-minute minor. Yet again, Rousseau was unable to see the puck through the screen set by Kevin Bicker, and the Germans tied the game on a third power-play goal, this one from Julius Sumpf.
Canada returned the favour on a power play of its own, and it was Dumais getting some retribution with the goal after sitting in the box for the tying goal .
With Canada holding just a one-goal lead, they extended that to two with an exceptional play from Macklin Celebrini. In a race for the puck with Bittner, he managed to just play the puck first, and got a shot off from a sharp angle to hit the vacated cage.
Easton Cowan added an empty-netter — after first hitting the post — to secure the 6-3 win for Canada. The result locked Germany into last spot in the group, which meant they would play a single relegation game on January 4. Latvia, which had beaten Germany the previous day, was in attendance to see their quarter-final spot solidified.
Germany will wait until Thursday to play that relegation match. Canada will be back in action Tuesday, January 2 in the quarter-finals.
