In a display of grit, determination and unwavering confidence in their squad, the Canadians did not fold, they did not give up — they battled. Trailing 3-1 in the third period, they stormed back by tallying three unanswered goals — including a breathtaking backhander by Akil Thomas as he was falling down with 3:58 remaining in the game — to seal the 4-3 win.
A long-storied rivalry, this one was a no-holds-barred battle from the drop of the puck. Canada had to grind it out as they faced penalty after penalty in the opening frame with its penalty killers blocking shots and clearing the zone. Russia, who back on Dec. 28 handed the Canadians their worst-ever loss in world juniors history with a crushing 6-0 defeat, broke the scoreless affair off a sweet deflection from St. Louis Blues prospect Nikita Alexandrov. Canada’s Dylan Cozens tied the game up less than two minutes later, but Russia would go back ahead by two after Grigori Denisenko and Maxim Sorkin scored past Joel Hofer.
First, Calen Addison took a shot and the Canadians got the lucky break as it deflected off the Russian defender and Connor McMichael’s leg to beat Amir Miftakhov. Like Hofer, who stopped 35 of 38 shots, Miftkakhov was stellar in net — stopping 26 of 30 shots — but the bounce that went their way was just what the Canadians needed. Just over two minutes later, captain Barrett Hayton — who many did not expect to play after he left Saturday’s game with an arm injury after crashing into the boards and was a game-time decision — put his team on his back and with one rifled shot from the right circle tied the game
Thomas, who had not tallied a goal entering Sunday’s game, saved his best for last as he took advantage of a misplay by New Jersey Devils defenseman Danil Misyul in his own end. His goal sent the crowd and the Canadian bench into a tizzy as the comeback was complete. Russia did not muster many chances afterward and the Canadians were IIHF World Junior champions for the 18th time in the nation’s history.
The Canadians do have an impressive record when the Czech Republic hosts the tournament. They’ve medaled every year it has been played there, winning silver in 2002 and now three golds — in 1994 when the tournament was also in Ostrava, 2008 and 2020. With the win over Russia, it marked the fifth time Canada beat the rival in nine games since 1996.
Sporting News had all the action as Canada won gold at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Canada vs. Russia scores, highlights from 2020 World Juniors gold medal game
(All times Eastern.)
Final score: Canada 4, Russia 3
4:05 p.m. — Scenes from the celebration.
3:46 p.m. — Nikita Alexandrov named the player of the game for Russia and Barrett Hayton gets the award for Canada.
Here is the First Team @iihf_wjc All-Stars ⭐️ we revealed on @TSN_Sports Gold Medal ? preview show. We present the First Team All-Stars. G:Hofer ??D:Sandin ?? Romanov ?? F: Fagemo ?? Lafreniere ?? Hayton ??
3:40 p.m. — Grigori Denisenko takes a shot and his stick breaks. He holds onto the broken shaft and tried to play against Foudy. Denisenko called for the penalty and Russia down two men.
3:40 p.m. — Empty net for the Russians.
3:39 p.m. — Will skate 4-on-4 for 44 seconds and then Canada will have an extra man for about 35.
3:38 p.m. — Then with 44 seconds left on the power play, Pavel Dorofeyev knocks the stick out of Liam Foudy’s hands and is given an interference penalty (like what Veleno got earlier in the game).
3:37 p.m. — Aidan Dudas’ clearing shot goes off the camera and it’s not called a delay of game penalty. Russia is obviously irate as the (TSN) camera is behind the glass and there was no call.
3:36 p.m. — Russia not getting much set-up time in the first minute of the power play.
3:35 p.m. — Hofer with the save on Alexander Romanov.
3:33 p.m. — Now, with 2:41 left on the clock, Kevin Bahl gets called for hooking. Russia, after a timeout, will go 6-on-4.
3:30 p.m. — GOAL! Russia’s Danil Misyul misplays the puck in his own end above the circles. Akil Thomas gets the loose puck and skates in and while falling roofs the puck on the backhand. An unreal goal for his first goal of the tournament. Canada leads 4-3.
3:28 p.m. — Hayton gets hit along the boards by the penalty box and is in pain on the bench.
3:26 p.m. — Buckle up! Tie game with 5:44 left on the clock.
3:19 p.m. — PP GOAL! Wow! Barrett Hayton! Sitting on the off-wing, he gets the pass in the right circle and rifles the wrister top shelf. Game tied 3-3.
3:18 p.m. — Canada will head to the power play. The Canadians are 1-for-5 in the game with the man advantage.
3:17 p.m. — Hofer stops a point shot through traffic. Under nine minutes remaining.
3:13 p.m. — The goal is reviewed to see if he purposely directed it — but, nope, it’s a goal! Back to being a one-goal game.
3:11 p.m. — GOAL! Just 34 seconds after Russia takes a two-goal lead, Connor McMichael has a shot by Calen Addison deflect off his legs and in. Canada trails 3-2.
3:09 p.m. — GOAL. Ilya Kruglov feeds Maxim Sorkin out in front and he buries the shot. His first point of the game. Canada trails 3-1.
3:03 p.m. — Ty Dellandrea cuts to the middle but his shot sails high and wide.
3:02 p.m. — Connor McMichael on a breakaway down the left wing but Amir Miftakhov makes the blocker save.
3:00 p.m. — After a slight delay to fix a net, Canada starts the third period on the power play.
3:00 p.m. — Second-period shots on goal: Canada 16, Russia 14
Second period: Russia 2, Canada 1
2:40 p.m. — Right at the buzzer, Yegor Zamula cross-checks Barrett Hayton to the face and Canada will start the period on the power play, down by one.
2:38 p.m. — Dylan Cozens had blocked a shot and was in some discomfort on the bench but motions that he’s ok. Around the same time, Jacob Bernard-Docker laid down the boom.
2:33 p.m. — Just prior to that goal Liam Foudy had a great chance on a one-timer as he was crashing the net but Amir Miftakhov read the play perfectly.
2:30 p.m. — GOAL. Russia retakes the lead as Joel Hofer takes a shot that sounded like it went off the mask and cannot control the rebound. Grigori Denisenko shoves the puck into the net. Canada trails 2-1.
2:25 p.m. — Canada now on a 5-on-4 but do not score.
2:24 p.m. — Amir Miftakhov thinks he was interfered with but no call.
2:23 p.m. — PP GOAL! Joe Veleno distracts the Russian defenseman in front and Dylan Cozens is left all alone to bury the loose puck. Game tied 1-1.
2:21 p.m. — Within seconds of taking a penalty, Russia takes another one when they touch up and Canada will go on a full two-minute 5-on-3 power play.
2:19 p.m. — The top line of Lafreniere, Hayton and Cozens comes out and gets a number of chances — Cozens shoots wide, then Cozens in front on the backhand can’t tuck it in and Lafreniere can’t score on the rebound.
2:17 p.m. — Goal is being reviewed, probably to see if it was hit with a high-stick — and it’s not close. Good goal.
2:16 p.m. — PP GOAL. Yegor Zemula’s point shot is deflected down by Nikita Alexandrov and beats Hofer between the legs. Canada trails 1-0.
2:14 p.m. — Hofer another big-time save — this one off of the paddle.
2:12 p.m. — Hayton called for holding the stick but it is a questionable call. Regardless Canada is shorthanded again.
2:09 p.m. — Joel Hofer with a big save on Alexander Khovanov as he streaks in.
2:07 p.m. — Lots of scramble in front of the Russian net but the Canadians — including Alexis Lafreniere and Bowen Byram — can’t bury the loose puck.
Key: + is for shots saved by goalkeeper; < is for blocked shots; – is missed shot
2:04 p.m. — Canada cannot convert and it’s back to 5-on-5.
2:00 p.m. — Canada breaks out 3-on-2, Dylan Cozens with a good high shot that Miftakhov sends it to the middle. Lots of scrambling in the slot but in the end, Canada gets a power play as the puck was covered by the closed hand of a Russian player.
1:59 p.m. — Second period underway. Hayton not penalized for the high-stick.
1:59 p.m. — Going to go out on a limb and say that was the Canadian contingent . . .
Referees booed as they return to the ice for the second period
1:42 p.m. — Barrett Hayton’s stick comes up and smacks Yegor Sokolov in the face as the first period ends. Canada may start the second down a man again.
1:41 p.m. — Russia held to two shots on net. It is now 0-for-4 with the man advantage.
1:38 p.m. — Jamie Drysdale with a block and it stung him. He is limping around.
1:36 p.m. — After the penalty expires, the Russians go right back on the power play as Kevin Bahl is called for slashing. Canada doing well on the penalty kill but can’t keep giving the Russians the opportunity.
1:34 p.m. — Hofer makes a good save on a point shot that may have handcuffed him slightly and then follows it up seconds later with another key stop as the puck goes off the skate of McIsaac
1:32 p.m. — As we’ve seen all tournament long, the referees are going to call it tight. Ty Smith now gets called for holding and Canada will be shorthanded for the third time in the game.
1:30 p.m. — Akil Thomas with a big block on the penalty kill right after Jacob McIsaac does the same.
1:27 p.m. — Joe Veleno gets called for interference as he goes to lift a stick and it goes flying. They’ll skate 4-on-4 for 27 seconds and then Russia gets power-play time.
1:27 p.m. — Alexander Romanov block a Hayton shot and it appears to sting the Russian defender.
1:25 p.m. — Joe Veleno gets slashed in the neutral zone and is seen flexing his hand but stays on the ice. Canada will head to its first power play.
1:21 p.m. — By the way, for the superstitious readers: Canada’s wearing the black (a.k.a. the best) jersey again today. The Canadians wore them against the Czech Republic in the preliminary round, Slovakia in the quarterfinals and Finland in the semifinal.
1:18 p.m. — Lots of centering passes by both teams but none are connecting.
1:15 p.m. — Joel Hofer has looked stellar thus far and makes a big save on the penalty kill.
1:13 p.m. — Jared McIaasc takes a penalty and Russia will get the first power play of the game. Russia has scored seven power-play goals in the last three games.
1:09 p.m. — Bowen Byram and Barrett Hayton have taken their first shifts of the game.
1:09 p.m. — Liam Foudy with a chance early on and right off the post.
1:08 p.m. — Game on!
Pregame
1:03 p.m. — It is loud at Ostravar Arena.
12:49 p.m. — Canada’s lineup.
12:44 p.m. — History in the making.
Here we go again … Canada and Russia meet for gold for the 9th time.
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona voters have approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing abortion access up to fetal viability, typically after 21 weeks — a major win for advocates of the measure in the presidential battleground state who have been seeking to expand access beyond the current 15-week limit.
Arizona was one of nine states with abortion on the ballot. Democrats have centered abortion rights in their campaigns since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Abortion-rights supporters prevailed in all seven abortion ballot questions in 2022 and 2023, including in conservative-leaning states.
Arizona for Abortion Access, the coalition leading the state campaign, gathered well over the 383,923 signatures required to put it on the ballot, and the secretary of state’s office verified that enough were valid. The coalition far outpaced the opposition campaign, It Goes Too Far, in fundraising. The opposing campaign argued the measure was too far-reaching and cited its own polling in saying a majority of Arizonans support the 15-week limit. The measure allows post-viability abortions if they are necessary to protect the life or physical or mental health of the mother.
Access to abortion has been a cloudy issue in Arizona. In April, the state Supreme Court cleared the way for the enforcement of a long-dormant 1864 law banning nearly all abortions. The state Legislature swiftly repealed it.
Voters in Arizona are divided on abortion. Maddy Pennell, a junior at Arizona State University, said the possibility of a near-total abortion ban made her “depressed” and strengthened her desire to vote for the abortion ballot measure.
“I feel very strongly about having access to abortion,” she said.
Kyle Lee, an independent Arizona voter, does not support the abortion ballot measure.
“All abortion is pretty much, in my opinion, murder from beginning to end,” Lee said.
The Civil War-era ban also shaped the contours of tight legislative races. State Sen. Shawnna Bolick and state Rep. Matt Gress are among the handful of vulnerable Republican incumbents in competitive districts who crossed party lines to give the repeal vote the final push — a vote that will be tested as both parties vie for control of the narrowly GOP-held state Legislature.
Both of the Phoenix-area lawmakers were rebuked by some of their Republican colleagues for siding with Democrats. Gress made a motion on the House floor to initiate the repeal of the 1864 law. Bolick, explaining her repeal vote to her Senate colleagues, gave a 20-minute floor speech describing her three difficult pregnancies.
While Gress was first elected to his seat in 2022, Bolick is facing voters for the first time. She was appointed by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to fill a seat vacancy in 2023. She has not emphasized her role in the repeal vote as she has campaigned, instead playing up traditional conservative issues — one of her signs reads “Bolick Backs the Blue.”
Voters rejected a measure to eliminate retention elections for state Superior Court judges and Supreme Court justices.
The measure was put on the ballot by Republican legislators hoping to protect two conservative justices up for a routine retention vote who favored allowing the Civil War-era ban to be enforced — Shawnna Bolick’s husband, Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, and Justice Kathryn Hackett King. Since the measure did not pass, both are still vulnerable to voter ouster, though those races hadn’t been decided by early Wednesday morning.
Under the existing system, voters decide every four to six years whether judges and justices should remain on the bench. The proposed measure would have allowed the judges and justices to stay on the bench without a popular vote unless one is triggered by felony convictions, crimes involving fraud and dishonesty, personal bankruptcy or mortgage foreclosure.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska voters supported a measure Tuesday that enshrines the state’s current ban on abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy in the state constitution, and they rejected a competing measure that sought to expand abortion rights. Nebraska was the first state to have competing abortion amendments on the same ballot since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending the nationwide right to abortion and allowing states to decide for themselves. The dueling measures were among a record number of petition-initiated measures on Nebraska’s ballot Tuesday.
What were the competing abortion measures?
A majority of voters supported a measure enshrining the state’s current ban on abortion after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy in the state constitution. The measure will also allow for further restrictions. Last year, the Legislature passed the 12-week ban, which includes exceptions for cases of rape and incest and to protect the life of the pregnant woman.
Voters rejected the other abortion measure. If they had passed it by a larger number of “for” votes than the 12-week measure, it would have amended the constitution to guarantee the right to have an abortion until viability — the standard under Roe that is the point at which a fetus might survive outside the womb. Some babies can survive with medical help after 21 weeks of gestation.
Abortion was on the ballot in several other states, as well. Coming into the election, voters in all seven states that had decided on abortion-related ballot measures since the reversal of Roe had favored abortion rights, including in some conservative states.
Who is behind the Nebraska abortion measures?
The 12-week ban measure was bankrolled by some of Nebraska’s wealthiest people, including Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts, who previously served as governor and donated more than $1.1 million. His mother, Marlene Ricketts, gave $4 million to the cause. Members of the Peed family, which owns publishing company Sandhills Global, also gave $1 million.
The effort was organized under the name Protect Women and Children and was heavily backed by religious organizations, including the Nebraska Catholic Conference, a lobbying group that has organized rallies, phone banks and community townhalls to drum up support for the measure.
The effort to enshrine viability as the standard was called Protect Our Rights Nebraska and had the backing of several medical, advocacy and social justice groups. Planned Parenthood donated nearly $1 million to the cause, with the American Civil Liberties Union, I Be Black Girl, Nebraska Appleseed and the Women’s Fund of Omaha also contributing significantly to the roughly $3.7 million raised by Protect Our Rights.
What other initiatives were on Nebraska’s ballot?
Nebraska voters approved two measures Tuesday that will create a system for the use and manufacture of medical marijuana, if the measures survive an ongoing legal challenge.
The measures legalize the possession and use of medical marijuana, and allow for the manufacture, distribution and delivery of the drug. One would let patients and caregivers possess up to 5 ounces (142 grams) of marijuana if recommended by a doctor. The other would create the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission, which would oversee the private groups that would manufacture and dispense the drug.
Those initiatives were challenged over allegations that the petition campaign that put them on the ballot broke election rules. Nebraska’s attorney general said supporters of the measures may have submitted several thousand invalid signatures, and one man has been charged in connection with 164 allegedly fraudulent signatures. That means a judge could still invalidate the measures.
Voters also opted Tuesday to repeal a new conservative-backed law that allocates millions of dollars in taxpayer money to fund private school tuition.
Finally, they approved a measure that will require all Nebraska employers to provide at least 40 hours of paid sick leave to their employees.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in Missouri cleared the way to undo one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans in one of seven victories for abortion rights advocates, while Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota defeated similar constitutional amendments, leaving bans in place.
Abortion rights amendments also passed in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland and Montana. Nevada voters also approved an amendment, but they’ll need to pass it again it 2026 for it to take effect. Another that bans discrimination on the basis of “pregnancy outcomes” prevailed in New York.
The results include firsts for the abortion landscape, which underwent a seismic shift in 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a ruling that ended a nationwide right to abortion and cleared the way for bans to take effect in most Republican-controlled states.
They also came in the same election that Republican Donald Trump won the presidency. Among his inconsistent positions on abortion has been an insistence that it’s an issue best left to the states. Still, the president can have a major impact on abortion policy through executive action.
In the meantime, Missouri is positioned to be the first state where a vote will undo a ban on abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with an amendment that would allow lawmakers to restrict abortions only past the point of a fetus’ viability — usually considered after 21 weeks, although there’s no exact defined time frame.
But the ban, and other restrictive laws, are not automatically repealed. Advocates now have to ask courts to overturn laws to square with the new amendment.
“Today, Missourians made history and sent a clear message: decisions around pregnancy, including abortion, birth control, and miscarriage care are personal and private and should be left up to patients and their families, not politicians,” Rachel Sweet, campaign manager of Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, said in a statement.
Roughly half of Missouri’s voters said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 2,200 of the state’s voters. But only about 1 in 10 said abortion should be illegal in all cases; nearly 4 in 10 said abortion should be illegal in most cases.
Bans remain in place in three states after votes
Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota became the first states since Roe was overturned where abortion opponents prevailed on a ballot measure. Most voters supported the Florida measure, but it fell short of the required 60% to pass constitutional amendments in the state. Most states require a simple majority.
The result was a political win for Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican with a national profile, who had steered state GOP funds to the cause. His administration has weighed in, too, with a campaign against the measure, investigators questioning people who signed petitions to add it to the ballot and threats to TV stations that aired one commercial supporting it.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion group SBA Pro-Life America, said in a statement that the result is “a momentous victory for life in Florida and for our entire country,” praising DeSantis for leading the charge against the measure.
The defeat makes permanent a shift in the Southern abortion landscape that began when the state’s six-week ban took effect in May. That removed Florida as a destination for abortion for many women from nearby states with deeper bans and also led to far more women from the state traveling to obtain abortion. The nearest states with looser restrictions are North Carolina and Virginia — hundreds of miles away.
“The reality is because of Florida’s constitution a minority of Florida voters have decided Amendment 4 will not be adopted,” said Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for the Yes on 4 Campaign said while wiping away tears. “The reality is a majority of Floridians just voted to end Florida’s abortion ban.”
In South Dakota, another state with a ban on abortion throughout pregnancy with some exceptions, the defeat of an abortion measure was more decisive. It would have allowed some regulations related to the health of the woman after 12 weeks. Because of that wrinkle, most national abortion-rights groups did not support it.
Voters in Nebraska adopted a measure that allows more abortion restrictions and enshrines the state’s current 12-week ban and rejected a competing measure that would have ensured abortion rights.
Other states guaranteed abortion rights
Arizona’s amendment will mean replacing the current law that bans abortion after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. The new measure ensures abortion access until viability. A ballot measure there gained momentum after a state Supreme Court ruling in April found that the state could enforce a strict abortion ban adopted in 1864. Some GOP lawmakers joined with Democrats to repeal the law before it could be enforced.
In Maryland, the abortion rights amendment is a legal change that won’t make an immediate difference to abortion access in a state that already allows it.
It’s a similar situation in Montana, where abortion is already legal until viability.
The Colorado measure exceeded the 55% of support required to pass. Besides enshrining access, it also undoes an earlier amendment that barred using state and local government funding for abortion, opening the possibility of state Medicaid and government employee insurance plans covering care.
A New York equal rights law that abortion rights group say will bolster abortion rights also passed. It doesn’t contain the word “abortion” but rather bans discrimination on the basis of “pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.” Sasha Ahuja, campaign director of New Yorkers for Equal Rights, called the result “a monumental victory for all New Yorkers” and a vote against opponents who she says used misleading parental rights and anti-trans messages to thwart the measure.
The results end a win streak for abortion-rights advocates
Until Tuesday, abortion rights advocates had prevailed on all seven measures that have appeared on statewide ballots since the fall of Roe.
The abortion rights campaigns have a big fundraising advantage this year. Their opponents’ efforts are focused on portraying the amendments as too extreme rather than abortion as immoral.
Currently, 13 states are enforcing bans at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions. Four more bar abortion in most cases after about six weeks of pregnancy — before women often realize they’re pregnant. Despite the bans, the number of monthly abortions in the U.S. has risen slightly, because of the growing use of abortion pills and organized efforts to help women travel for abortion. Still, advocates say the bans have reduced access, especially for lower-income and minority residents of the states with bans.
The issue is resonating with voters. About one-fourth said abortion policy was the single most important factor for their vote, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide. Close to half said it was an important factor, but not the most important. Just over 1 in 10 said it was a minor factor.
The outcomes of ballot initiatives that sought to overturn strict abortion bans in Florida and Missouri were very important to a majority of voters in the states. More than half of Florida voters identified the result of the amendment as very important, while roughly 6 in 10 of Missouri’s voters said the same, the survey found.
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Associated Press reporters Hannah Fingerhut and Amanda Seitz contributed to this article.
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This article has been corrected to reflect in the ‘other states’ section that Montana, not Missouri, currently allows abortion until viability.
