MENU
Canada needed a win by three or more goals to secure a spot in the semi-finals and got it, defeating Switzerland 5-0. Canada got two points each from Berkly Catton, Ryder Ritchie, Michael Misa and Cole Beaudoin. Carter George made 12 saves for the shutout while Christian Kirsch stopped 26 of 31 in the Swiss net, making several key stops to keep his team within striking distance.
Penalties: 0:0. PP goals: 0:0. SH goals: 0:0.
Photogallery
Report
Both teams had a chance to secure a semi-final chance this game, with Canada needing a win by three goals or more and the Swiss needing anything better than that. Whichever team failed to achieve their goal would still have a chance if Slovakia managed to take at least a point from Finland in the evening game.
Canada opened the scoring on a hard-working goal at 11:53. Cole Beaudoin forced a turnover behind the net and centred it. Following a scramble, Roger McQueen swooped in and scored his fourth goal of the tournament.
The first period mostly went according to the style of play the Swiss wanted, but Canada really began to pressure late and they scored a huge second goal with just 12 seconds remaining. Ryder Ritchie carried the puck into the Swiss zone and found Beaudoin going to the net, who chipped it in.The Swiss remained in a defensive shell throughout the second period, failing to register a shot on goal but limiting Canada to just eight. Berkly Catton made it 3-0 just shy of the game’s midpoint, taking a shot from the wing that hit the cuff of Kirsch’s glove and fell into the net. The Canadians pressed hard for a fourth goal on a power play late in the third period but were unable to connect.
Still very much alive, the Swiss nonetheless found themselves in a position where they had to win the third period if they wanted to secure a semi-final berth. Their best chance came with 14:30 to play when a shot by Robin Nico Antenen hit the post behind a screened Carter George.
Then less than four minutes later, a goal by Maxim Massé put Canada in a commanding position. Malcom Spence intercepted a Swiss clearing attempt at the blueline and sent a feed to a wide-open Massé, who had time to pick his spot. Then Catton’s second of the game with exactly nine minutes remaining removed all doubt.
Reactions
Patrick Schöb (head coach, Team Switzerland): “We had not a bad game. We tried to make it as difficult as possible for them in a game where they had to win. We knew they would come out hard and we tried to keep the game as close as possible. In the second period, we didn’t have many scoring chances but we kept it close. We knew we wouldn’t get many scoring chances – they also played really well defensively. But in the third, we knew that with one goal we could have the semi-final spot, even if we lost the game, so we tried to push a little bit more offensively and then came the game-breaking goal.”
Alan Letang (head coach, Team Canada): “They played really hard. They were physical, tight-checking and our guys had to fight through it. That’s how you win these types of games and that’s probably going to be how the next one is too. We got a couple of breaks early, which we needed to tilt the ice a little bit. I’m pretty proud of the way our guys played. We committed to playing well in the D zone, we talked about taking away their transition game and playing fast ourselves, and I thought most of the game we had them on their heels.”