Canada needed a response after a miserable 48 hours.
Connor Bedard — as he’s done so often in his young career — delivered with lethal precision.
The 17-year-old phenom had a hat trick and four assists Wednesday as the host county got back on track at the world junior hockey championship with an emphatic 11-2 victory over Germany.
“Unbelievable game,” Canadian captain Shane Wright said. “Pretty crazy what he’s doing out there. Special night.”
It certainly was.
Bedard’s seven-point performance tied a single-game Canadian record on a night the favourites at the men’s under-20 showcase needed a response following Monday’s embarrassing 5-2 loss to Czechia.
“It’s cool,” the presumptive No. 1 pick at the 2023 NHL draft said of joining Dave Andreychuk (1983), Brenden Morrow (1999), Mike Cammalleri (2002) and Gabriel Bourque (2010) on Canada’s seven-point list. “But that’s not a huge deal for me. It’s good to get the win.
“I got a couple of pretty lucky ones. Just one of those nights.”
Connor Bedard leads Canada past Germany at the World Junior Championship
Projected number 1 draft pick, Connor Bedard scores 3 goals and has 4 assists leading Canada to an 11-2 victory over Team Germany at the World Junior Championship.
Bedard now has 12 goals all-time at the world juniors, two back of Jordan Eberle’s national record.
“I’ll text him saying he’s got a guy on his heels,” Wright said of Eberle, his teammate with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken. “Don’t think we’ll be focused on that a lot, but it’s gonna be special if he hits those along the way.”
“He was on fire … shot was unreal,” Canadian head coach Dennis Williams added of Bedard. “His creativity and his poise … a great night.
“He led the way.”
Dylan Guenther also had a hat trick — all off Bedard passes — while Logan Stankoven added a goal and two assists.
Wright, Brandt Clarke and Joshua Roy, with a goal and an assist each, and Zack Ostapchuk also scored.
Olen Zellweger chipped in with three assists as Williams shook up three of his forward lines — including splitting up Bedard and Wright — after a disconnected and disjointed effort against the Czechs.
“We came much more determined,” said the coach. “Played tighter as a group.”
Thomas Milic made 14 saves in his first world junior start for Canada. Roman Kechter and Philip Sinn replied for Germany, which got 30 stops from Simon Wolf before he was replaced by Rihards Babulis for the third period in a mercy pull. Babulis finished with 11 saves.
“We were pretty hungry,” Bedard said. “That was a huge way to come back.”
Austria up next
Canada, which improved to 16-0 all-time against the Germans, will now quickly pivot to face Austria — outscored 20-0 through its two tournament games — Thursday back at Scotiabank Centre.
Coming off a 1-0 defeat Tuesday to Sweden, Germany is off Thursday before a Friday meeting with Austria.
A talent-rich team loaded with nine first-round NHL draft picks, plus Bedard and fellow high-end prospect Adam Fantilli, Canada was stunned by the Czechs in an uninspired curtain-raiser that left the powerhouse nation searching for answers.
That included players questioning their own readiness and preparation, while Fantilli and Bedard each attempted and failed “The Michigan” lacrosse-style move early — sequences viewed afterwards as symptomatic of the Canadians’ loose approach against an underdog opponent.
There would be no repeat.
“We didn’t change our game based on what the score was,” Guenther said. “I love that … that was awesome.”
DYLAN GUENTHER HAT TRICK!!! ????????????<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldJuniors?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WorldJuniors</a><a href=”https://t.co/UL7i4K4yUY”>pic.twitter.com/UL7i4K4yUY</a>
The Arizona Coyotes forward opened things on a power play in the first period off a Bedard feed before when Ketcher snapped a shot through Milic.
Wright was credited with his second goal of the tournament on another man advantage when a German defender swept the puck into his own net.
Bedard, who had four goals in an 11-2 victory over Austria one year ago to the day before that tournament was shelved by COVID-19, made it 3-1 when he took a stretch pass and ripped a shot past Wolf, and got another early in the second on a goaltending miscue.
“We were a lot more focused,” Wright said. “We knew we had to respond after last game’s effort.”
Wright said Bedard could probably put up a couple points a night in the NHL right now.
“Incredible,” said the No. 4 pick at the 2022 draft. “Haven’t seen many individual performances like that. Pretty special.”
Added Guenther: “He’s gonna be an impact player there, I assume, right away.”
Bedard roofed his hat trick goal on another power play through a screen before Rayan Bettahar was assessed a match penalty and ejected for an illegal check to the head on Fantilli.
Canada’s Adam Fantilli, centre, is hit by Germany’s Rayan Bettahar during the second period in Halifax on Wednesday. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)
That’s when the floodgates really opened.
Guenther scored his second on a slick Bedard feed to make it 6-1 and Clarke blasted a one-timer off a German defender.
Bedard then set up Guenther for his third on the same man advantage and Stankoven added another late in the period for a 9-1 lead through 40 minutes.
Ostapchuk made it 10-1 early in the third before Bedard assisted on Roy’s goal for his seventh point of the evening.
Sinn got a late consolation goal on a German power play to close out a night that saw Canada recalibrate after an uncomfortable two days.
“That’s how we play hockey,” Wright said. “All three periods — all 60 minutes — that was Team Canada hockey. We were expecting a bounce-back game and that’s exactly we got.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
-scaled.jpg)
