2020 Olympic Winter Games (Youth)

CANADA DROPS PRELIM OPENER AT YOUTH OLYMPICS

JASON LA ROSE

LAUSANNE, Switzerland – Adam Fantilli (Nobleton, Ont./Kimball Union Academy, USHS) and Denton Mateychuk (Dominion City, Man./Eastman, MAAAU18HL) scored goals in the second period, but a slow start doomed Canada in a 6-2 loss to Russia in the preliminary-round opener Saturday at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

The Russians scored twice with the power play and once shorthanded as part of a four-goal first period.

Canada found itself shorthanded within the first minute and took four minor penalties (90 seconds each) in the opening 15-minute period.

Matvei Michkov scored first at 6:43, tucking a shot past Canadian goaltender Vincent Filion (Shawinigan Que./Trois-Rivières, LHMAAAQ) at the side of the net on the man advantage, and Ivan Miroshnichenko drove hard down the left wing before setting up Ruslan Gazizov for a shorthanded marker just 89 seconds after that to make it 2-0.

Michkov counted again on the power play at 11:21, going five-hole on Filion, and Vyacheslav Malov finished off a scramble in front with the 4-0 goal at 12:53, sending Filion to the bench in favour of Dylan Ernst (Weyburn, Sask./Moose Jaw, SMAAAHL).

Just over a minute after Ilya Kvochko made it 5-0 on another Russian power play early in the second period, Fantilli took a pretty pass from Paul Ludwinski (Pickering, Ont./Toronto Marlboros, GTHL) and went skate-to-stick before beating netminder Sergei Ivanov to get Canada on the board.

Mateychuk added a second Canadian goal five minute later, sweeping a shot underneath Ivanov off a set-up from Pano Fimis (Richmond Hill, Ont./Toronto Jr. Canadiens, GTHL).

But that would be it for Canadian offence, and Malov added his second of the game late in the third period to finish the scoring.

Canada was outshot 22-17, although it had a 15-14 advantage in the final 30 minutes.

Prelim action concludes Sunday with Canada taking on Denmark (8 a.m. ET/5 a.m. PT).