Game Report 72 World Junior A Challenge
PLAYED AT: R.J. Lalonde Arena
Date: Dec 15, 2016
GAME NOTES: THIERUS SCORES OT WINNER, SENDS EAST TO GOLD MEDAL GAME AT WJAC JASON LA ROSE BONNYVILLE, Alta. – Lucas Thierus (Saint-Eustache, Que./Saint-Jérôme, LHJQ) did the overtime honours, scoring 2:20 into the extra period to give Canada East a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in the late semifinal Thursday at the 2016 World Junior A Challenge. The victory sends the Canadians to the gold medal game for the fifth time in tournament history, and the first time since 2011. They will face the United States on Saturday night (5 p.m. MT, TSN) for the top prize. A save by Stefano Cantali (Longueuil, Que./Longueuil, LHJQ) – his 33rd and final stop – fell at the feet of Tim Theochardis (Pickering, Ont./Carleton Place, CCHL), who fed Thierus at the face-off dot to the left of the Canadian netminder. He did the rest, blazing down the wing before wiring a wrist shot just inside the far post past Czech goaltender Petr Kvaca. The game was a battle of the goaltenders, with Cantali and Kvaca combining to make 58 saves, and neither allowed a goal until the latter half of the third period. After a relatively tame first period, both teams came out shooting in the second; the Czechs outshot Canada East 17-11 in the middle frame, but the game went to the second intermission scoreless. The defences continued to clamp down in the third, with just two shots total in the first 10 minutes of the final frame, both by the Czechs. But Vincent Chapleau (Longueuil, Que./Longueuil, LHJQ) finally broke through for the easterners with 8:24 to go, finding a bouncing puck in a scramble in front of the Czech net and swatting a backhand by Kvaca for a 1-0 lead. Just as it did Wednesday in a quarter-final win over Canada West, the Czech Republic replied with Kvaca on the bench for an extra attacker in the dying moments; with the six-on-five advantage, the Czechs moved the puck into the slot for Kristian Reichel, who beat Cantali at 18:13 to force overtime. Thierus’ goal keeps hope alive for a first gold medal for Canada East; it dropped the gold medal game to Canada West at the first two tournaments in 2006 and 2007, gave up a third-period lead in a loss to the U.S. in 2010, and came up short again against West in 2011. Despite the loss, the Czechs will still play for a medal for the first time ever at the World Junior A Challenge; they will take on Russia on Friday night (7:30 p.m. MT) in the bronze medal game.
Visiting Team: Czech Republic
Home Team: Canada East
CZECH REPUBLIC LINEUP
Pos No.   Name
G Ruzicka, Jan
G Kváca , Petr
  Adámek , Marian
  Hanousek, Tomas
  Doudera, Lukas
  Kral, Filip
  Kachyna, Ondrej
  Sirota, Jakub
  Novak, Daniel
 10  Vildumetz, Tomas
 11  Dvorak, Filip
 12  Kodytek, Petr
 13  Havranek, Tomas
 14  Pavlik, Radovan
 17  Kousal, Pavel
 18  Zachar, Marek
 19  Vracovsky, Tomas
 20  Kubik, Adam
 21  Kurovsky, Daniel
 22  Reichel, Kristian
   
   
CZECH REPUBLIC PENALTIES
Per. No.  Min  Offence Off PP PS Start On
1st20 2:00 Holding 11:131 11:1313:13
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
CANADA EAST LINEUP
Pos No.   Name
G Cantali, Stefano
G31  Jones, Hunter
  Hould, Samuel
  Grant, Owen
  Dirven, Sebastian
  Theocharidis, Tim
  Mucci, Nic
 10  Crotty, Cameron
 11  Guy, Owen
 12  Hill, Connor
 14  Levesque, Charles
 16  Lalonde, Nick
 17  Girduckis, Aidan
 18  Chapleau, Vincent
 19  Keenan, Luke
 20  Misley, Bryce
 21  Dow, Bobby
 23  Evans, Finn
 24  Thierus, Lucas
 26  McBain, Jack
 27  Wichers, Quinn
 29  Johnston, Logan
CANADA EAST PENALTIES
Per. No.  Min  Offence Off PP PS Start On
1st2:00 Tripping 7:171 7:179:17
2nd29 2:00 High-Sticking 18:141 18:140:14
3rd2:00 Interference 8:191 8:1910:19
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
CZECH REPUBLIC Goals CZECH REPUBLIC PLAYERS (plus) CANADA EAST PLAYERS (minus)
Per. Time    G-As1-As2    
3rd18:13  22-19-6            
                
CANADA EAST Goals CANADA EAST PLAYERS (plus) CZECH REPUBLIC PLAYERS (minus)
Per. Time    G-As1-As2    
3rd11:36  18-20-24            
1st OT2:20  24-6            
POWER PLAY OPPORTUNITIES
CZECH REPUBLIC 0 / 3
CANADA EAST 0 / 1
PENALTY SUMMARY
CZECH REPUBLIC 2 min / 1 inf
CANADA EAST 6 min / 3 inf
POINT SUMMARY
CZECH REPUBLIC 1 G + 2 A = 3 Pts
CANADA EAST 2 G + 3 A = 5 Pts
SCORING 1 2 3 OT1 Total
CZECH REPUBLIC00101
CANADA EAST00112
GOALTENDER/SAVES (Time) 1 2 3 OT1 Tot. On Off
CZE - Kváca (57:36) (OTL)8115125/0:003rd/17:36
CZE - Kváca (4:07) (OTL)00000/18:131st OT/2:20
CAN-E - Cantali (62:20) (W)9176133/0:001st OT/2:20
Stars of the Game TIME OF GAME:
  -  Start: 7:38 PM
  -  End: 9:57 PM
  -  Attendance:  
OFFICIALS
Referee:
Referee:
Linesmen:
Linesmen:
CERTIFIED CORRECT
 


This report has been checked and verified against the Official World Junior A Challenge Game Report.

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