Hide Article Text (OCR)
Two down, tough ones to goCanadian Press _OSTRAVA, Czech Republic — Now the fun begins for coach Joe Canale and the Canadian junior hockey team.Canada improved to 2-0 yesterday at the world junior hockey championship with a 5-2 win over Germany. But both wins have come against weaker teams — the other was a 5-1 victory over Switzerland on Sunday.Defending last year’s gold medal gets much harder tomorrow and Thursday when Canada plays Russia and Finland,“It’s going to be a tough battle this year, said Canale, an assistant to Perry Pearn in 1992. “We said in the beginning the Russians would be good, and they are; we said Finland would be good, and they are; and everyone expected Sweden to be good,“No one said this would be easy.Canale pointed out his team wouldn't havehad a chance at repeating as champions if it hadn’t dispatched Switzerland and Germany. Yesterday^ that meant overcoming a 2-1 first-period deficit to the Germans.“If we didn’t come out hard in the second, then we would’ve had to pack this one in, pack the whole tournament in. It would’ve been really, really tough.”But Todd Harvey, Aaron Gavey and Rick Girard took care of matters in the second.Gavey pulled Canada even at 13:11 with apower-play goal. He skated out untouched from behind the German net and fired a wTist shot past goalie Marc Seliger. Then, 2:11 later, Girard banked a shot in off Seliger’s skate to make it 3-2.Harvey set the tempo of the period with some solid checks.Girard and Martin Gendron rounded out the scoring in the third.It was important that we get the first (goal of the second period), get a good jump andstart taking the body on them,’’ said Harvey, taken ninth overall in last year’s NHL draft by the Dallas Stars. “They started shying away a bit and we took control of the game.Gavey agreed.“The first period was a little rough. I’m not sure if we were a little scared because they were coming at us so hard, but we settled down in the second and third and played a much better game.”But most Canadian victories will hardly be works of art, Gavey said,“In this tournament, I don't think we’re going to finesse any team. Our game is bump and run, get in their faces and work down low on everything in their zone.”Such wasn’t the case in the first when Marco Eltner put Germany ahead 1-0 on the power play at 9:10. Harvey countered, also on the power play, 1:14 later but a wide-open Stefan Mann corralled a Jamie Storr rebound and fired itpast the Canadian goalie at 18:15.“I think our guys were focusing in on theamount of ice time they were getting in the first, said Canale. “You can’t do that—it's the team first.But they’re leaiming and we're learning,and we’ll be better for it.”Canale also hopes Canada will be better for getting a day off.“It’s excellent timing because we could use a good practice. We want to work on faceoffs and we want to touch up our forechecking.What doesn't need work is the power play. Canada has seven power-play goals in its two games, including four against Germany.“The key ingredients of winning this are to play sound defensively and special teams, Canale said. When you play sound defensively, and we have, you have to take advantage of the opportunities they give you.”In other games yesterday, Sweden defeated Russia 3-0, Finland dumped the Czech Republic 7-3 and the United States and Switzerland played toal-1 tie.
Newspaper Details
Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA
Tue, Dec 28, 1993
Page 43
Full Page
Clipped by
Jason P.
USA 31 Aug 2018
Other Publications Near Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg Courrier du Nord Ouest
Winnipeg Tribune
Winnipeg Free Press Sunday
Winnipeg Manitoban
Winnipeg Free Press
