2016 World Junior A Challenge

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2016 World Junior A Challenge
Game #10
SF/D-F
Final (OT)
December 15, 2016 7:30 pm MST
R.J. Lalonde Arena
Bonnyville, Alta.

Scoring

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

Shots on Goal

1st
2nd
3rd
OT
Final
1
2
3
OT
F
9
17
7
1
34
8
11
6
2
27

Statistics

PP
PIM
0 / 3
2
0 / 1
6

Game Story

THIERUS SCORES OT WINNER, SENDS EAST TO GOLD MEDAL GAME AT WJAC

JASON LA ROSE

BONNYVILLE, Alta. – Lucas Thierus (Saint-Eustache, Que./Saint-Jérôme, LHJQ) did the overtime honours, scoring 2:20 into the extra period to give Canada East a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in the late semifinal Thursday at the 2016 World Junior A Challenge.

The victory sends the Canadians to the gold medal game for the fifth time in tournament history, and the first time since 2011. They will face the United States on Saturday night (5 p.m. MT, TSN) for the top prize.

A save by Stefano Cantali (Longueuil, Que./Longueuil, LHJQ) – his 33rd and final stop – fell at the feet of Tim Theochardis (Pickering, Ont./Carleton Place, CCHL), who fed Thierus at the face-off dot to the left of the Canadian netminder. He did the rest, blazing down the wing before wiring a wrist shot just inside the far post past Czech goaltender Petr Kvaca.

The game was a battle of the goaltenders, with Cantali and Kvaca combining to make 58 saves, and neither allowed a goal until the latter half of the third period.

After a relatively tame first period, both teams came out shooting in the second; the Czechs outshot Canada East 17-11 in the middle frame, but the game went to the second intermission scoreless.

The defences continued to clamp down in the third, with just two shots total in the first 10 minutes of the final frame, both by the Czechs.

But Vincent Chapleau (Longueuil, Que./Longueuil, LHJQ) finally broke through for the easterners with 8:24 to go, finding a bouncing puck in a scramble in front of the Czech net and swatting a backhand by Kvaca for a 1-0 lead.

Just as it did Wednesday in a quarter-final win over Canada West, the Czech Republic replied with Kvaca on the bench for an extra attacker in the dying moments; with the six-on-five advantage, the Czechs moved the puck into the slot for Kristian Reichel, who beat Cantali at 18:13 to force overtime.

Thierus’ goal keeps hope alive for a first gold medal for Canada East; it dropped the gold medal game to Canada West at the first two tournaments in 2006 and 2007, gave up a third-period lead in a loss to the U.S. in 2010, and came up short again against West in 2011.

Despite the loss, the Czechs will still play for a medal for the first time ever at the World Junior A Challenge; they will take on Russia on Friday night (7:30 p.m. MT) in the bronze medal game.

Play-by-Play

Team
Description
Time
1st Period
PENALTY
Penalty: Owen Grant
Tripping (2:00)
07:17
PENALTY
Penalty: Adam Kubik
Holding (2:00)
11:13
2nd Period
PENALTY
Penalty: Logan Johnston
High-Sticking (2:00)
18:14
3rd Period
PENALTY
Penalty: Sebastian Dirven
Interference (2:00)
08:19
GOAL
Goal: Vincent Chapleau

Assists: Bryce Misley, Lucas Thierus
11:36
GOAL
Goal: Kristian Reichel

Assists: Tomas Vracovsky, Filip Kral
18:13
GOALTENDER CHANGE
Goaltender Change: Petr Kváca

18:13
Overtime
GOAL
Goal: Lucas Thierus

Assists: Tim Theocharidis
02:20

Goaltenders

Name Team Mins SA SVS GA SV%
Petr Kváca CZE 61 27 25 2 0.926
Stefano Cantali CAN-E 62 34 33 1 0.971

Game Leaders

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

Previous Games

4 - 7 L @ RussiaRUS
Dec 16, 2016
0 - 4 L vs. United StatesUSA
Dec 17, 2016
1 - 2 L @ Canada EastCAN-E
Dec 15, 2016
2 - 1 W vs. Czech RepublicCZE
Dec 15, 2016
4 - 3 W @ Canada WestCAN-W
Dec 14, 2016
1 - 3 L @ United StatesUSA
Dec 13, 2016
Videos
Photos
2016 WJAC: USA 4 – CAN-E 0 (Gold Medal)
Primeau made 14 saves, backstopping the Americans to a gold medal.
2016 WJAC - WJAC: CAN-W 5 – SUI 3 (5th Place)
Kawaguchi had a goal and three assists to help West to fifth place.
2016 WJAC - RUS 6 – CZE 3 (Bronze Medal)
Svechnikov scored a hat trick to lead Russia to its fourth bronze.
2016 WJAC: USA 4 – RUS 2 (Semifinal)
The U.S. scored three PP goals to advance to the gold medal game.
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Credit