2016-17 National Junior Team

CANADA BLANKS SLOVAKIA FOR SECOND WIN

WENDY GRAVES

TORONTO, Ont. – Canada’s National Junior Team completely shut the door on Slovakia on the second day of the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, limiting its opponent to only six shots on net – tying a team record for fewest allowed – in earning a 5-0 win.

In 1983, Canada held Norway to half a dozen shots in a 13-0 victory.

Connor Ingram (Imperial, Sask./Kamloops, WHL) was barely tested in picking up his first international win.

Canada, in turn, fired 44 shots on Slovakian netminder Adam Huska.

Jérémy Lauzon (Val-d’Or, Que./Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL), Taylor Raddysh (Caledon, Ont./Erie, OHL), Anthony Cirelli (Woodbridge, Ont./Oshawa, OHL), Thomas Chabot (Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce, Que./Saint John, QMJHL) and Michael McLeod (Mississauga, Ont./Mississauga, OHL) scored the goals. Chabot, Lauzon and Cirelli also had an assist each.

After no real excitement over the first 20 minutes, Canada broke the game open with a four-goal second period.

Lauzon got the ball rolling, taking a short pass from Tyson Jost (Kelowna, B.C./University of North Dakota, NCHC) and going glove side from the slot.

Midway through, off a turnover in the neutral zone, Mathieu Joseph (Chambly, Que./Saint John, QMJHL) drove to the net and drew a tripping penalty. Canada controlled played in the offensive zone throughout the ensuing power play, with Raddysh finishing a below-the-goal-line pass from Pierre-Luc Dubois (Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que./Cape Breton, QMJHL) to make it 2-0.

Just 1:40 later Cirelli redirected a shot from Lauzon for Canada’s third goal.

Canada then scored its second power play goal of the period. Chabot beat Huska cleanly from above the right face-off circle. The team now has five power play goals through two games.

By the end of the second period Canada had more goals (4) than Slovakia had shots on net (3).

The scoring was complete when Cirelli sent a centering pass to McLeod for an easy tap-in early in the third period.

Canada now has a day off. Its next game is against Latvia on Thursday (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT).