Canada saved best for last, outlasting Finland to lock up first place

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MINNEAPOLIS — In its final test of preliminary action, Team Canada saved its best for last, taking down Finland 7-4 to lock up first place in Group B.

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The win secured a quarterfinal date with Slovakia, the fourth-place team in Group A, on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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Brady Martin and Cole Beaudoin each netted a pair of goals, while Sam O’Reilly and Zayne Parekh both recorded a goal and two assists in the win.

Compared to the dreary 4-1 loss to the United States in last tournament’s New Year’s Eve game, this was a raucous affair for the Canadians in front of a supportive crowd.

“There’s no place I’d rather be right now,” Martin said, sipping on a chocolate protein shake. “It was really loud and it’s only gonna get louder from here on out.”

Up against the best goalie Canada had faced up to this point in the tournament in Finland’s Petteri Rimpinen, a high-scoring affair wasn’t a given despite Canada’s 18 goals through its first three games.

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Then the first four shots of the night found their way past the goalies.

First, it was Parekh netting his fourth goal of the tournament 73 seconds into the game, catching Rimpinen off his post on the right side and firing below his glove.

Michael Hage said that, before Parekh scored, he said on the bench: “Low glove, watch this.”

“And then he scored 20 seconds later,” Hage said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Parekh and Hage are now tied with Gavin McKenna and Slovakia’s Tomas Chrenko for the tournament scoring lead.

But the lead didn’t last long, as Julius Miettinen scored on the rush less than three minutes later on Carter George.

Martin restored Canada’s lead 32 seconds later on a setup from linemate Michael Hage, but Oliver Suvanto slapped a rebound past George to even the game once again.

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Martin responded with another tally, this time rebounding on the power play off Hage’s right-side shot, only for Finland to get its own man advantage on a questionable hooking call against Ethan MacKenzie. Defenceman Lasse Boelius capitalized with a one-time blast from the point.

The second period was a complete reset, as both teams came out looking to run the other through the boards. Canada looked comfortable.

“We thought we did a good job regrouping,” McKenna said. “We found our game.”

Midway through the frame, on Canada’s third power-play opportunity of the night, Parekh slung a long-range pass on to the tape of Tij Iginla at Finland’s blueline, and he popped the puck over Rimpinen’s glove to reclaim the lead once again.

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“He finds the open pass every time,” Martin said. “I don’t know how, but it’s unbelievable.”

The ice tilted toward the Canadians as the middle frame progressed, as they established a physical forecheck and dominated battles in all three zones.

“We played defence first, and then we got our chances on offence,” Hage said. “It’s good to see all the work pay off.”

Canada’s third line was also rewarded for its efforts when Beaudoin crashed the net on O’Reilly’s shot, cleaning up the rebound to grab the game’s first two-goal edge.

But Finland refused to go down quietly. In his own zone, Keaton Verhoeff turned the puck over to the tape of Roope Esterinen, who ripped it over George’s shoulder on the short side.

In the final frame, Canada settled things down once again with a defensive clinic. It surrendered just 10 shots through the final 40 minutes.

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Midway through the period, O’Reilly and Beaudoin connected once again to push the lead back to two.

That depth scoring from the third line of O’Reilly, Beaudoin and Caleb Desnoyers was sorely lacking in Canada’s previous games, something that Martin acknowledged made a difference against Finland.

“That’s what you need in a winning team, depth,” he said. “That helps out a lot tonight. They put two in, and then the empty-netter as well. To keep that rolling is huge.”

Finland wouldn’t sniff a comeback in the final minutes of the game, as Canada displayed its most impressive defence of the tournament before O’Reilly iced it with an empty-netter.

George, who entered the night with an ugly .870 save percentage and 3.00 goals-against average, made 14 saves on 18 shots for his third win at this year’s world juniors. His stat line may not be glamorous, but his teammates say it’s the way he responds after goals that gives them confidence in him.

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“He smiles after he lets a goal in,” Beaudoin said. “He’s got us when we need a big save, and we try to help him out as much as we can.”

Coach Dale Hunter said he has confidence in George, but declined to confirm whether he or Jack Ivankovic would start on Friday against Slovakia.

Dishing two primary assists on Martin’s goals, it was another standout game for Hage, who has undoubtedly thrust himself into the tournament MVP conversation with his play-driving abilities for Canada. He has eight points in four games, tied with McKenna and Parekh.

“(Hage) always makes the right play,” Martin said. “If you get open, he’ll find you. His hands and his IQ take him a long way.”

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