Team Canada takes huge step with win over Czechs

For Team Canada, the game with the Czechs was a matter of life and death. Thankfully for the cradle of ice hockey, the hosting country suffered a four-goal loss and the Canadians collected three important points with another critical game against the United States ahead of them. Kerby Rychel, Sam Reinhart and Brendan Gaunce combined for nine points to prove they deserve the status of first line.

However, it was just one big scoring chance what Team Canada managed to open the scoring from. An odd-man rush led by Sam Reinhart saw the puck get to Gemel Smith and Brendan Gaunce, who finished it off for the game´s opening goal. The Czechs managed to respond quickly. Right after winning an offensive-zone draw, the puck got to Jakub Houfek, who surprised goalie Matt Murray with a shot through a maze of bodies to tie the game at 1.

But the game only remained tied for about 20 seconds before Brendan Gaunce found a rebound in front to get his second of the night to make it 2-1. And it wasn´t over yet as less than a minute later, Scott Laughton found the top corner with a laser beam from the right side. And with just three minutes left in the first, Sam Reinhart used a bounce off a defenceman to convert a five-on-three powerplay into a goal and it was 4-1 at the end of the first period.

The second period was, in comparison to the first, pretty uneventful, partially due to improved discipline on both sides. Nevertheless, the Czech team scored the period´s lone goal right after one of their power plays expired. Machač sent a rising pass to Dominik Volek who one-timed it home out of mid-air to make it a two-goal deficit. The Canadians had a big chance midway through the frame when William Carrier sent Anthony Mantha on a breakaway, but the Longueuil, Québec native fired it wide after a nice backhand move.

Early in the third, after another expired Canadian penalty, the Canadians had a three-on-two opportunity ending with Gaunce receiving the puck in front of the wide-open net and firing it off the heavy metal. Team Canada found the back of the net just three minutes later, though. Ryan Pulock set up Matt Dumba for a one-timer and the captain blasted it past Patrik Polívka to restore his team´s three-goal lead.

"It was one of the best game at this tournament for us and we are happy to come back after losing to Finland. We played really well in the first, which was the turning point of the entire game," Dumba said sbout the contest.

At the halfway point of the closing frame, Gaunce took a minor penalty and the Czechs pressed hard throughout the entire power play, but it resulted in a Canadian goal. Gaunce picked up the puck after leaving the penalty box, carried it into the zone and found Kerby Rychel in front of the open net to make it 6-2. For the rest of the period, Team Canada focused on the defence and managed to keep the Czechs from scoring.

"We started great, without unneccesary fear from Canada and we also got to some opportunities," said Regina Pat Dominik Volek in summarizing the game. "After some time, we suffered from a lot of mistakes, the Canadians made it 4-1 and that´s not a score you would like to talk about during the intermission. We remembered a game with Canada in which we tied it from the score of 4-1 and that fueled us. Then we managed to cut the lead but some more individual mistakes cost us all hope."