OTTAWA – For the second straight year, Czechia has ousted Team Canada in the quarterfinals of the World Junior Hockey Championship.
Adam Jecho beat Thunder Bay goaltender Carter George with just 39 seconds to go in regulation, earning Czechia a 4-3 win and a berth in Saturday’s semifinal round.
George, a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings, stopped 22 of 26 shots directed his way, but the last one was costly.
Canada had battled back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game, Bradley Nadeau scoring with 4:18 to play in regulation to even the game at three goals apiece.
But with 2:27 to go in the third Canada’s Andrew Gibson was assessed a two-minute minor for kneeing, giving the Czechs their fifth power play of the night.
Jecho blasted a puck to George’s short side, ripping it just under his blocker as he slid across his crease trying to catch up to the shot.
Petr Sikora opened the scoring just 43 seconds into the contest. Canada’s Tanner Howe tied things up midway through the first with a shorthanded tally that beat Czechia netminder Michael Hrabal.
Two-and-a-half minutes later Jakub Stancl gave the Czech’s a 2-1 lead on the power play. Eduard Sale doubled the Czechia lead with just three seconds to play in the middle frame.
Porter Martone got one back for Canada on the power play at 17:40 of the second.
Canada outshot the Czechs 14-6 in the third and 32-26 on the night.
Czechia will take on the United States in one semifinal. Finland will tangle with Sweden in the other.
