Rematch For Gold
Today's World Junior Championship games saw the Swedes and the Canadians advance to the gold medal game in what should be an entertaining rematch of their round robin battle which saw Sweden defeat Canada 4-3 for Canada's only loss since the 2004 gold medal game against the Americans. The Swedes defeated the Russians 2-1 in overtime to advance to the final, while Canada defeated the United States 4-1 to advance from their side of the bracket. While it won't be comparable to Punch-Out in terms of chucking knuckles, this game should feature goals, hits, saves, and excitement much like Punch-Out did when I was a kid.
As you sit there scratching your head about me, let's just get to the preview. I've already embarrassed myself enough.
If Canada learned anything about the Swedes in their first game, they should know that if you let up on the gas pedal, things will go awry. The Swedes are far too talented and too skilled to give them an inch. The Canadians have to play their suffocating style of defence for 60 minutes, not 55 minutes. They watched a 2-0 lead midway through the third period turn into a 4-3 loss. I'd bet dollars to dimes that the loss to Sweden will be the fire for Canada on Saturday.
Sweden, on the other hand, knows it has exposed a few holes in the Canadian wall. Quick strikes and excellent puck movement had the Canadians on their heels in the first game, and the Swedes have to play smart. If the Swedes can take anything out of the first game, they should know that most pundits felt that they were the better of the two teams despite them trailing 2-0. Sweden has to bring that swagger with them in this game.
Advantage: Canada. The loss to Sweden has them playing fundamentally-sound hockey, and it really showed in their dominating win over the Americans. The Swedes looked a little laisser-faire against the Russians, and that should play into Canada's hands.
The Canadians will play the same game against the Swedes that they played against the Americans - hits, turnovers, and goals. It all starts with the hits, and it appears that Brandon Sutter, Colton Gillies, and Stefan Legein are out for blood. They played hard, they hit harder, and they create turnovers by causing chaos. The key for Canada is to sustain this intensity for the full 60 minutes. Again, if they take their foot off the gas, the Swedes can explode for goals.
The Swedes will have to finesse and skate their way out of getting crushed along the boards. The Swedes will push back and will throw their own hits, but they certainly still play a Euro-style game with emphasis on skill. In order for Sweden to weather the storm, they'll have to make Canada miss a check or two and capitalize on odd-man rushes.
Advantage: Canada. They just looked too strong against the Americans, who were arguably the best team in the tournament. Canada wants this second chance for redemption, and they want to leave their mark on the Swedish team that broke their 20-game undefeated streak.
Where Sweden might be able to catch the Canadians is in the hangover from the semi-final game against the USA. The Canadians know that the USA poses the biggest threat to their hockey dominance since the Iron Curtain came down and the USSR ceased to exist. With the Canadian kids burning through adrenaline like hippies go through incense, there may be a hangover effect. The Swedes have to try and get the jump on the Canadians early in the game before the Canadians snap out of it.
Of course, the opposite may be true. The Canadians may simply focus that effort and energy into winning tomorrow and take it directly to the Swedes. The Canadians have to control their emotions and keep a level head in order to keep the Swedish powerplay off the ice. If they cannot, Steve Mason may see more rubber than a Goodyear factory.
Advantage: Canada. They're just playing too well right now. All four lines are working well, and they have played sound defensively since their loss to Sweden. After the win against the Americans, the adrenaline will still be pumping in the Canadians' hunt for vengeance against the Swedes.
There's no doubt that the Jhonas Enroth, the Buffalo Sabres' goaltending prospect, has shown that he's an elite-level goalie. Enroth has only allowed 10 goals in five games, and he's shown that the pressure of the big game doesn't get to him. He backstopped Sweden to the top spot in their pool, and was a huge reason why the Swedes beat the Canadians in the round robin. If anyone can swing this game for Sweden, Enroth is the man.
Across the ice, he'll see Steve Mason, the Columbus Blue Jackets' goaltending prospect. Mason had ice in his veins against the high-scoring Americans. He's looked comfortable playing behind Canada's defence, and has proven he belongs in between the pipes. For all those who questioned head coach Craig Hartsburg's decision to play Mason, he's showing you why Hartsburg has faith in him. I get that Jonathan Bernier played in the NHL this season, but so did Mason. Stop crapping on the kid who has led your nation to the biggest game of the year.
Advantage: Sweden. Enroth is has yet to let in any soft goals, and looks like he'll be starting in the NHL sooner rather than later. While Mason is just as good as Enroth in my view, it just seems that Enroth might be a little quicker than the taller Mason.
The Swedes have guaranteed that they will bring a medal home for the first time since 1996. That drought is an extremely long time, especially once you consider that the pros won Olympic gold in 2006. However, the juniors just haven't had the success to breed it into themselves that winning is everything and losing is not an option. That lack of a killer instinct could show itself in this game.
The Canadians are gunning for their fourth straight gold medal, and losing is not an option to these kids. They expect nothing less than ending up on top of the pile, and will certainly die trying to win the gold. They have the skill, talent, and desire to win. They just have to move it from the on-paper world to the on-ice world.
Overall, this should be an excellent battle between two extremely talented clubs. However, it just seems that this game favours Canada for the reasons above. In my opinion, the Canadian anthem will heard after the game tomorrow, and Canada will be atop the podium. Sweden will join them as the silver medallists, and the Russians will take home the bronze after dispatching the Americans. The Americans will still be in some shock of losing their opportunity of playing for gold, and the Russians will take advantage of that.
Find a TV and get yourself in front of it. If you can't be in front of a TV, you may want to be in front of a computer so you can listen to the game live via streaming audio. Again, you can find all the Canadian feeds by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom. It should be a good one, and GO CANADA GO!
Until tomorrow, keep your sticks on the ice!
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3 comments:
Canada wins gold, but Sweden deserved to win. They outplayed us all the way and lost in overtime on a very hard-to-take (for them) garbage goal.
Steve Mason stood on his head, again, and if I hear anyone talk about how Bernier should have been in there instead, they'll forever be ignored by me. lol.
Congratulations Team Canada, but you got lucky... You beat a clearly better team.
I'm stoked! Go Canada Go!
I haven't gotten to watch the game yet, but I will, hopefully soon.
lol, mrbionic: if you're swedish, just admit it; we won't hold it against you that Sweden traded with the Nazis during the darkest days of the Second World War. Leaving aside Sweden's checkered past for a minute, Canada carried the play for 40 minutes and was a deserving winner in overtime; the better team won - no matter what Swedish sympathizers may suggest:)
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