Team Canada needed a good start in the quarter-final versus Czechia, eager to put a rough preliminary round behind it, and get revenge for a loss to the same team in the same round last year.
It didn’t get that start, fumbling through the neutral zone after the opening faceoff, losing assignments in the defensive zone, and surrendering the opening goal to Petr Sikora 43 seconds into the match.
Perhaps seeing how shoddy Canada’s play was on its own half of the rink, the Czechs took advantage of some four-on-four open ice to look for stretch passes. They connected and resulted in two breakaways, forcing Canadian goaltender Carter George to make two critical saves to prevent a team with infamous offensive issues from going down two goals early.
Things threatened to go completely off the rails as Canada’s Cole Beaudoin was ejected from the game for a kneeing major versus Petr Sikora. Instead, Tanner Howe followed up a breakaway by Brayden Yager and deflected a pass from his captain over the shoulder of Czech goaltender Michael Hrabal to tie the game and change the complexion of the game.
Before the major expired, Czechia restored its lead via a shot that went high and wide. As the puck rebounded off the end glass, Canadian defenceman Sam Dickinson tried to play the puck away with his hand, but ended up deflecting it into his own net. Jakub Stancl, who took the initial shot, got credit for the goal.
Unfortunately, for Dickinson, he wore the goat horns on the third goal the Czechs scored in the opening period as well. An ill-advised drop pass in the final seconds led a three-on-one against and Eduard Sale left the crowd in Kanata stunned as horn sounded.
The shock carried into the second period for the Canadian players. As the middle frame reached its midpoint, the host team had added just two shots to the scoreboard. Czechia was doing an excellent job of limiting the Canadian attacks, while still managing to get their own fair share of possession.
With three minutes to play, a penalty was drawn by Berkly Catton, arguably Canada’s most consistent forward in the tournament. It was a knee similar to the one that got Beaudoin ejected in the first period, but without the player staying down on the ice for an extended period, and resulted in a two-minute power play.
That was enough time for Canada to get back in the game. Porter Martone set up in front of Hrabal, hopping out of the way as Tanner Molendyk’s point shot came through, but leaving his stick in the line of fire to direct it into the net.
The Canadian players, and the crowd, were re-energized by the goal. Canada finished the period with a flurry of chances, setting the tone for a critical final 20 minutes.
Canada picked up right where it left off with the resumption of the third period, spending time in Slovakia’s zone as the opponent tried to survive the pressure.
As the period went on, Canada had shift after shift in the offensive zone, but had issues turning that into actual dangerous shots. Running out of time in the second half of the frame, the Canadians started to get desperate, and Matthew Cataford rode a bit of contact from a Czech defender to skate right through Hrabal and knock the puck. In a fit of desperation head coach Dave Cameron challenged the play to have the goaltender interference overturned, but the on-ice call was upheld, denying the goal, but also putting the Czechs on the power play. Canadiens did kill off the penalty, but had two minutes less to find a tying goal.
A minor slash on Sikora by Andrew Gibson was met with an excessive reaction by the Czech forward. The two players both went to the box on the play, leaving the game at five-on-five.
With 4:18 to play, Canada found the equalizer. A shot from the high slot led to a short rebound with two Canadian forwards in front, and both Luca Pinelli and Bradly Nadeau helped propel the puck through Hrabal’s five-hole.
Holding all the momentum, Gibson threw a hit at the blue line with a wide stance as Beaudoin had done earlier, and that led to another kneeing penalty, though this one just a minor. Canada was set to play most of the final portion of the third period on the penalty kill.
On the power play, Adam Jecho scored from the left circle, leaving just under 40 seconds for Canada to look for another tying goal. They couldn’t find a fourth, an lost 4-3.
Czechia will move on the to the semifinals that begin on Saturday. Canada’s tournament is done.
