2019 World Junior A Challenge

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2019 World Junior A Challenge
Game #5
Preliminary
Final (OT)
December 9, 2019 7:00 pm MST
Encana Events Centre
Dawson Creek, B.C.

Scoring

Teams
1st
2nd
3rd
OT
Final
Teams
1
2
3
OT
F
0
3
1
0
4
2
1
1
1
5

Shots on Goal

1st
2nd
3rd
OT
Final
1
2
3
OT
F
6
8
4
0
18
12
11
12
2
37

Statistics

PP
PIM
1 / 6
6
0 / 3
22

Game Story

FONTAINE PROVIDES HEROICS, U.S. EDGES CZECHS

JASON LA ROSE

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. – Gunnarwolfe Fontaine tied the game with 2:27 left and won it 56 seconds into overtime, giving the United States a come-from-behind 5-4 win over the Czech Republic on Monday night at the 2019 World Junior A Challenge.

It’s the first time the Americans have started with back-to-back wins at the tournament since 2014.

Fontaine did it by himself on the extra-time winner, jumping on an errant pass at the Czech blue-line and knocking his own rebound through goaltender Jakub Dobes.

The Czechs were less than three minutes from their second-consecutive victory, but Fontaine took a touch pass from Brendan Brisson, waited for Dobes to make the first move and absolutely wired a wicked wrist shot off the post and in to force overtime.

Brisson played the role of provider in the first period, setting up both American goals.

On the first, he shook off a check from a Czech before finding Sean Farrell trailing the play, and he beat Dobes with a quick release from the slot.

With time ticking away in the opening frame, Brisson found Mitch Miller coming out of the penalty box and he went to the forehand on the breakaway to make it a 2-0 game after 20 minutes.

Just as they did in their win over Russia on Sunday, the Czechs battled back in the second period.

Ondrej Psenicka needed just 49 seconds of the middle stanza to score a power-play goal, one-timing a feed from Adam Klopka past U.S. netminder Ethan Haider, and Marcel Barinka finished on a two-on-one with Psenicka at 7:30 to draw the Czechs even.

Barinka struck again seven minutes later with a rocket from the blue-line, but Trevor Kuntar tapped in a short pass at the top of the crease only 48 seconds after that to draw the Americans even at 3-3 after a wild period.

The Czechs looked to have the winner with just over five minutes to go on a beauty; Robin Vsetecka knocked down a 115-foot stretch pass from Matej Morong at the U.S. blue-line, powered his way around a defender and slipped a backhand past Haider for a 4-3 advantage.

But Fontaine took over from there, spoiling a terrific 32-save performance from Dobes.

The Americans will travel to Fort St. John, B.C., for their next game, a first-place showdown with Canada East on Wednesday night (7 p.m. MT), while the Czechs will take on Canada West on Wednesday night in Dawson Creek in their next action (7 p.m. MT).

Play-by-Play

Team
Description
Time
1st Period
PENALTY
Penalty: Josh Groll
High-Sticking (2:00)
08:37
GOAL
Goal: Sean Farrell

Assists: Brendan Brisson
11:26
PENALTY
Penalty: Daniel Poizl
High-Sticking (2:00)
14:46
PENALTY
Penalty: Mitch Miller
Hooking (2:00)
17:16
GOAL
Goal: Mitch Miller

Assists: Brendan Brisson
19:27
2nd Period
PENALTY
Penalty: Brendan Brisson
High-Sticking (2:00)
00:38
GOAL (POWER PLAY)
Goal: Ondrej Psenicka

Assists: Adam Klapka, Marcel Barinka
00:49
PENALTY
Penalty: Adam Klapka
Late Hit (2:00)
03:49
GOAL
Goal: Marcel Barinka

Assists: Ondrej Psenicka
07:30
GOAL
Goal: Marcel Barinka

Assists: Albert Siller, Daniel Poizl
14:21
GOAL
Goal: Trevor Kuntar

Assists: Josh Groll, Mitch Miller
15:09
PENALTY
Penalty: Ben Meehan
Hooking (2:00)
16:45
3rd Period
PENALTY
Penalty: Trevor Kuntar (Served by Ryder Rolston)
Boarding (2:00)
01:44
PENALTY
Penalty: Trevor Kuntar
10-Minute Misconduct - Misconduct (10:00)
01:44
PENALTY
Penalty: Ben Meehan
High-Sticking (2:00)
03:25
PENALTY
Penalty: Tomas Bernat
Slashing (2:00)
06:05
GOAL
Goal: Robin Vsetecka

Assists: Matej Morong, Adam Rutar
14:52
GOAL
Goal: Gunnarwolfe Fontaine

Assists: Brendan Brisson, Luke Reid
17:33
Overtime
GOAL
Goal: Gunnarwolfe Fontaine

00:56

Goaltenders

Name Team Mins SA SVS GA SV%
Jakub Dobes CZE 60 37 32 5 0.865
Ethan Haider USA 60 18 14 4 0.778

Game Leaders

Goals 2 - Assists 1 - Points 3
G 2 - A 1 - P 3
Goals 0 - Assists 3 - Points 3
G 0 - A 3 - P 3
Goals 1 - Assists 1 - Points 2
G 1 - A 1 - P 2
Goals 2 - Assists 0 - Points 2
G 2 - A 0 - P 2
Goals 1 - Assists 0 - Points 1
G 1 - A 0 - P 1
Goals 1 - Assists 1 - Points 2
G 1 - A 1 - P 2

Previous Games

1 - 2 L @ United StatesUSA
Dec 15, 2019
2 - 1 W vs. Czech RepublicCZE
Dec 15, 2019
1 - 5 L vs. RussiaRUS
Dec 14, 2019
1 - 2 L vs. Canada EastCAN-E
Dec 14, 2019
6 - 4 W vs. Canada EastCAN-E
Dec 13, 2019
7 - 2 W @ RussiaRUS
Dec 13, 2019
Videos
Photos
2018 WJAC: CAN-W 3 – CZE 1 (Bronze)
Holloway scored twice to lead the Canadians to the bronze medal.
2018 WJAC: USA 2 – RUS 0 (Gold)
Saville made 25 saves to backstop the U.S. to its eighth WJAC gold.
2018 WJAC: RUS 4 – CZE 1 (Semifinal)
Nikolaev and Gutik scored PPGs in the third to help Russia advance.
2018 WJAC: USA 3 – CAN-W 2 OT (Semifinal)
Ness ended it in overtime to send the Americans to play for gold.