 |
| Richard Wolowicz, Getty Images |
Games played on Saturday, New Years Eve, brought with it much excitement and disappointment for the competing teams and their followers.
Team Canada beat Team USA 3-2 to complete a perfect round robin schedule of play (4-0), giving them a bye through the quarter-finals and into the semi-final round.
Team USA's unexpected and surprising 1-3 record places them in the relegation round of the tournament, and out of contention for a medal for the first time since 2001.
Team Sweden came from behind to beat last year's gold medal winners, Team Russia, 4-3 in overtime to earn a bye and spot in the other semi-final.
Team Slovakia also staged a comeback and beat Team Switzerland to earn a spot in the quarter-final round to stay in contention for a medal.
Team Czech Republic whose earlier 5-2 victory over Team USA became the eventual difference-maker between the two teams also secured a spot in the quarter-final round of play.
View - 2012 IIHF U20 - Final Round Robin standings
Never dull days at the WJC
The story coming into this year's tournament was the obvious unforgettable memory of last year's Team Canada squad that lost the gold medal to an upstart Team Russia group of players in a crushing 5-3 defeat, the worst in the program's history.
However, the U20 tournament has a history of unexpected turns of events and this year's so far has been Team USA's fall out of medal contention as the 2010 gold medal winners and last year's bronze medal winners, will play to stay in the Top Division.
During this year's tournamant Team Switzerland's play has probably been the most impressive.
Though losing to Team Russia (3-0), Team Sweden (4-3), and Team Slovakia (6-4), and beating Team Latvia (5-3), the Swiss were in contention in every game they played.
As the perennial favorites continue on to medal play it is refreshing to see that other programs are developing to make this tournament event more exciting and unpredictable for years to come.
Latest Carolina Hurricanes news:
Hurricanes’ Staal shoulders responsibility for 4-3 loss to Coyotes
In
the wake of the Carolina Hurricanes losing 4-3 to the Phoenix Coyotes
at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. on Wednesday night, captain Eric
Staal took it upon himself to accept responsibility for the loss.“I...
No comments:
Post a Comment