Boxing Day — Team Canada kicked off their 2022 World Juniors campaign with a Power(ful) and near Perfect(ti) game — pun intended — as they downed Czechia by a score of 6-3.
With the help of Anaheim Ducks prospect, Mason McTavish, it took Canada just four minutes to tickle the twine and establish the lead against the Czechs. McTavish, who has already played nine games with the Ducks this season, quickly proved that his quick stint in the NHL is already working wonders on his game. The third overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft made quick work of his Czech defenders, beating them wide, before firing a beautifully aimed shot past goaltender, Jakub Malek’s blocker.
While Canada proved to be the more talented of the two teams on Sunday night; outscoring, outshooting, and outplaying their opponents for the better part of the game, it was not a perfect outing. The Czechs did manage to catch their opponents off guard midway through the first frame, scoring three unanswered. Goals from Michal Gut, Pavel Novak, and Stanislav Svozil turned a 1-0 Canada lead into a 3-1 Czechia lead.
Members of Team Canada celebrate after
one of Owen Power's three goals versus Czechia.
Photo Credit: Matthew Murnaghan/Hockey Canada Images
Nonetheless, Team Canada’s head coach, Dave Cameron, should have nothing to worry about. Inexperience and tournament jitters are nothing new or out of the ordinary for many teams. After all, this Canadian roster is fairly green when it comes to playing in the World Junior Tournament. Kaiden Guhle, Cole Perfetti, and Dylan Garand are the only returning players from the previous team. Defenseman, Owen Power, was also expected to crack the roster, but the University of Michigan refused to release him ahead of last year’s tournament.
Now, over a year later, it was Power — in his World Junior debut — who halted the Czech’s first period momentum to a standstill with his first goal of the tournament. It ended up being a historic night for the first overall pick and Buffalo Sabre prospect, as he scored not one, not two, but three goals on Sunday. Power’s three goal performance also marked the first time a Canadian defensemen has scored a hat trick in the World Junior tournament.
However, Power wasn’t the only defenseman producing against Czechia. With goals from both Donovan Sebrango and Olen Zellweger, Canada’s defense was able to put up five unanswered goals en route to a 6-3 win.
In the meantime, World Junior returnee, Cole Perfetti, put up his own hat trick of sorts — notching three assists — while highly touted, 2023 draft pick, Connor Bedard, picked up his first point of the tournament.
More to come…
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