Team USA takes care of Canada, secures spot in World Junior championship game
By Michael Caples –
Hockey fans who woke up a few hours too early this morning were treated to something special.
In a game that started at 4 a.m. Eastern Time, Team USA routed Canada in their semifinals match-up at the World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia.
The Americans bested their main rival 5-1 Thursday, just days after falling 2-1 in preliminary play to the same team.
Jake McCabe and John Gaudreau both scored two goals for Team USA, while goaltender John Gibson stopped 33 shots en route to a convincing win over Canada.
“We got the start we wanted, scoring the all-important first goal,” said Phil Housley, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team, in a press release. “We wanted to dictate the pace of the game early and we were able to do that and then it carried into the second period. We’re going to enjoy this win tonight and then start thinking about the gold medal game tomorrow.”
Team USA took an early lead against their neighbors to the north, with McCabe – the Americans’ captain for the tournament – scoring two unanswered goals in the first 16:02 of the contest. Livonia native Riley Barber picked up the primary assist on McCabe’s first, while former Little Caesars star Rocco Grimaldi and Saginaw Spirit captain Vince Trocheck set up the second.
Just under three minutes into the second period, the Americans increased their lead to three, when Gaudreau pulled a toe drag and then rifled a shot to the top corner past goaltender Malcolm Subban. McCabe and Gibson – yes, the goaltender – picked up assists on the goal.
Ten minutes later, still in the second period, Jim Vesey beat Subban with a shot to the left post, set up by Gaudreau and former NTDP and Plymouth Whalers star J.T. Miller.
Subban was pulled from the Canadian goal, replaced by Jordan Binnington.
At the 4:03 mark of the third period, Team Canada finally found the scoresheet, with Ty Rattie scoring on his own rebound. There was a bit of confusion surrounding the goal; Rattie hit the post on his first shot, and it appeared as though a referee blew the play dead after the initial shot. Video replay awarded Team Canada the goal, however, setting up a stressful final 16 minutes for Team USA.
It was the only time Team Canada was able to beat Gibson, though, as the Pittsburgh native held the high-powered Canadian offense at bay for the duration of the contest.
Gaudreau added his second of the night as the final insurance marker, taking a pass from Vesey in stride to break in alone on Binnington, and the New Jersey native beat him top-shelf to regain the Americans’ four-goal lead.
Team USA only took three penalties during the contest, while Team Canada had 16 minutes worth of penalty-kill time.
From USAHockey.com: