LAUSANNE — It was a quintessential hockey battle between rivals Canada and the United States with high drama, twists and turns and a wicked finish Tuesday afternoon inside Vaudoise Arena.
With time winding down in the third period and the Canadians trailing 2-1, the Americans took a tripping penalty which made for a frantic final two minutes.
A capacity crowd roared as the Canadians buzzed around the United States net with the goalie pulled and an extra attacker on the ice. But despite pinning the Americans in their own zone and firing the puck relentlessly, the Canadians couldn’t find the tying goal in the final seconds of the game.
As the clock hit zeroes the Americans blasted out of their bench and piled onto each other celebrating their 2-1 victory. The Canadians sat in their bench looking on.
“Obviously we’re disappointed in the outcome of today’s game but extremely happy with our effort. I thought the guys left it all out on the ice and it was something we wanted to do,” said Team Canada head coach, Gordie Dwyer.
“We pride ourselves on being Canadian and giving it our all until the end.”
The Canadians trailed 2-0 heading into the third period but mounted a serious charge in the final frame. They cut the American lead in half early as Nate Danielson got Canada on the board. His goal was assisted by captain Matthew Savoie and alternate captain Adam Fantilli.
For most of the third period the Canadians brought wave after wave of offensive attacks at the Americans but just couldn’t find the tying goal.
Despite the loss, Fantilli said he was proud of how the team fought until the end.
“No matter what I’ll be proud of these guys. We went to war together. These 17 guys are like my brothers. It’s the Canadian way,” he said.
A jubilant American side will now play for the gold medal at the Fourth Olympic Games. (Thomas Skrlj/COC/CBC Sports)
Questionable penalty-shot call
The Canadians and Americans started the game zipping around the ice, throwing their weight around at each other, trying to establish a physical advantage early.
It was the Americans who had the best scoring chance in the first period. A massive scramble in front of the net left a United States shooter wide open in front of left side of the net — Canadian goalie Vincent Filion sprawled across the crease, just getting his stick out and swatting away the puck. The sensational save midway through the period kept the game scoreless after the first period.
The United States scored their two goals two minutes apart in the second period. Its opening goal of the game was scored on a questionable penalty-shot call that left the Canadian coaching staff and many in the crowd baffled.
American Frank Nazar got caught up with a Canadian out front of the left of Canada’s net but was losing possession of the puck. There was some confusion over the initial call as it looked to be a hooking violation. However, Nazar was awarded the penalty shot.
Nazar made a scintillating move, calmly sliding the puck from his forward to the backhand, dropping Filion, and backhanding it into the net.
Dwyer called the referee over before the shot to get an explanation on the call.
“We disagreed on the call. But the call was made, and we move forward from there. As a coach, things happen during the game that you have to adjust from and I thought our team rebounded well,” Dwyer said.
Two minutes after the penalty-shot call the Americans struck again, this time on a power play. Isaac Howard ripped a low shot into the bottom right side of the net to give the United States a 2-0 lead. It was Howard’s seventh goal at the Youth Olympics.
The Canadian Way
After a lengthy post-game chat with his team after the loss, Dwyer met with media.
“We talked about what it was to be Canadian, our core values and what it means to wear the Maple Leaf,” he said.
Dwyer says he’s proud of the way his team battled adversity throughout the game.
“You can’t say enough about these kids,” Dwyer said.
“They’re great young hockey players and great young men. We’ve talked about our core values and what it means to play for Team Canada. This is their first experience and I think they’ve done themselves proud and their country proud.”
Canada now plays in the bronze-medal game on Wednesday and will face Finland, which lost 10-1 to Russia in the other semifinal matchup.
Dwyer says this is just the beginning for these young men in their international hockey careers and that they will give their best effort to bring home a medal for Canada.
“It’s their first experience at a young age but what a wonderful experience this is. It’s character-building,” he said.
“We still want to win a medal and the guys would be proud of that.”
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
