BOTH IIHF TOURNAMENT OPENING GAMES - TURN OUT TO BE ONE SIDED

(Photograph by: Shaun Best, Reuters - Star Phoenix Newspaper)

By: Ron "Scoreboard" Johnston - In the opening afternoon game at Regina Brandt Centre, Sweden walked all over the Czech Republic 10-1.

While up in Saskatoon, playing in front of a Credit Union Centre crowd of 12,469, Canada goaltender Jake Allen had to make only 10 saves to earn the shutout. Canada peppered Latvian netminders Ermics and Janis Kalnins with 66 shots. It was Canada taking a 11-0 lead going into the final period as they coasted to a 16-0 victory (highest shut out by a Canadian Team) over Latvia. Gabriel Bourque finished the game with 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points.

Canada took a early lead as they won the face-off at Latvia's left face-off, as Bourque scored on a long shot with only 0:36 seconds gone in the game, assisted by Ryan Ellis and Patrice Cormier. Canada then scored two straight power play goals. The first as Kadri was parked right infront of net and received a pass from behind the net at 4:22, assisted by Alex Pietrangeo and Taylor Hall. Bourque scored his second goal at the right corner of the net at 6:39 assisted by Brayden Schenn. Canada then made it 4-0 as Luke Adam scored on a rebound infront of the net at 11:43, assisted by Stefan Della Rovere. Cormier rounded out the first period scoring as he carried the puck around the back of the net out to the left face-off circle and scored at the 17:52 mark, assisted by Travis Hamonic and Bourque.

In the second period, Canada added six more goals. Canada scored on a 2 on 1 man rush as Brandon McMillian passed to Jordan Eberle at the right corner of the net and scored at 4:49, also assisted by Pietrangelo. Canada made it 7-o when Travis Hamonic scored just inside of the centre part of the blue line at 9:28, assisted by Pietrangelo. Just one minute later Canada again on a 2 on 1 man rush had Taylor Hall cross pass to the right side of the net and Nazem Kadri scored at 10:26. A cross crease pass from the left corner of the net by Bourque, had Brandon Kozen scoring at the 18:50, also assisted by Schenn. Canada had two quick goals near the end of the period; the first by Jordan Eberle as he scored on a rebound at 19:40, assisted by Peitrangelo. Then a turn over had Henrique carry the puck in from the right boards and score at 19:57. With only three minutes remaining in the period Jordan Eberle his the goal post.

Cormier received a pass from the right boards as he was parked a the right side of the net and scored at 1:33 into the third period. Kozun passed from the left side to McMillan who scored from the right corner of the net at 4:35, also assisted by Adam. Canada then scored at 9:19 when Kozun skated from behind the net and scored, assisted by Cormier and Bourque. Bourque parked infront of the net scored at 18:28, tying Canada's record for the highest shut-out at 15-0, but with only 28 seconds remaining Luke Adam broke that record as he picked up the puck behind the net and skated out front and scored at 19:32, assisted by Carn and Della Rovere to make the final score 16-0.

Video: WJHC: CAN 16, LAT 0


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