World Juniors 2017 Daily: A Golden Shootout for the United States

The United States and Canada took to the ice to decide the winner of the 2017 World Juinor Hockey Championships with Russia and Sweden meeting earlier in the day for the bronze. Can’t ask for much more than both the Gold Medal Game and the Third Place Game needing bonus hockey to finish off a tremendously entertaining 2017 WJHC.

Yesterday’s Action

In the first game of the day at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Sweden and Russia played in a consolation game to see who would go home with the bronze medal, and who would miss out. Russian goaltender Ilya Samsonov (Capitals) stole the show, stopping 38 of 39 shots with his only blemish coming from a second period Jonathan Dahlen (Senators) goal. Kirill Kaprizov (Wild), as usual, posted the only regulation goal for Russia, scoring his ninth of this tournament in just seven games.

It would take overtime to decide the winner, but it did not last long as Denis Gurianov went in all alone 33 seconds into the period and slipped a backhand shot past Swedish goaltender Felix Sandström. Their bronze medal win made it seven years in a row that Russia has medaled at the WJHC.

In what was one of the best hockey games in a long, long, long time at any level, the United States gave Canada everything they could handle through regulation, a full overtime period and five shootout rounds before taking home the gold medal in Montreal with a 5-4 shootout victory. Team USA battled back twice from two-goal deficits, with the first coming in the second period when Charlie McAvoy (Bruins) and Kieffer Bellows (Islanders) answered first period goals by Thomas Chabot (Senators) and Jeremy Lauzon (Bruins) to tie the game at two entering the third period.

Nicolas Roy (Hurricanes) opened the third period scoring for Canada with an NHL-level shot beating USA goaltender Tyler Parsons (Flames) short-side high.

Then, Canada doubled their lead less than three minutes later through Mathieu Joseph (Lightning). At this point it was do-or-die time for Team USA, who didn't flinch at the deficit and pulled the game within one on Bellows’ second goal, off a beautiful McAvoy feed less than a minute later.

Colin White (Senators) completed the comeback with 13 minutes left in the period and the game would remain deadlocked as regulation time expired.

The 20 minute overtime period that ensued was the kind of chaos you would expect from a Stanley Cup Final overtime, with chances up and down the ice. Canada had a golden opportunity with the USA taking a too many men penalty, but could not convert thanks to strong play in net by Parsons. In a result that no one wanted on either side, the game was to be decided after 80 minutes via shootout, tied at 4-4.

Unsurpringly in the shootout, Parsons stood tall, making five out of five saves including a stop on Roy in the fifth round when the puck rolled off his stick. Troy Terry (Ducks) scored the only goal of the shootout, again going five hole as his legend grows. Only this time, the goal meant a gold medal victory for both himself and his teammates.

Individual Awards (selected by the directorate)

• Best Goaltender: Felix Sandstrom, Sweden
• Best Defenseman: Thomas Chabot, Canada
• Best Forward: Kirill Kaprizov, Russia

Most Valuable Player (selected by the media)

• Thomas Chabot, Canada

All-Star Team (selected by the media)

• GK: Ilya Samsonov, Russia
• DEF: Thomas Chabot, Canada
• DEF: Charlie McAvoy, United States
• FW: Kirill Kaprizov, Russia
• FW: Alexander Nylander, Sweden
• FW: Clayton Keller, United States