Canada blanks Russia for junior gold

WebPosted Thu, 05 Jan 2006 20:42:38 EST
CBC Sports

Canada won the world junior hockey championship on Thursday in Vancouver, capping an unlikely undefeated run with a 5-0 win in the final over Russia.

* RELATED: Finland doubles up U.S. for junior bronze

Michael Blunden (back to glass) celebrates his second period goal with teammates. (CP Photo/Chuck Stoody)

Justin Pogge of Penticton, B.C., earned his third shutout of the tournament, as Canada last yielded a goal in the second period of the quarter-final game against the United States.

Pogge was named the tournament's top team player.

Michael Blunden picked an opportune time to score his first two goals, with Steve Downie, Blake Comeau and Kyle Chipchura adding the other markers.

Like last year in Grand Forks, N.D., the Canadian team, under the tutelage of head coach Brent Sutter, were not beaten in six games in the tournament.

But the 2005 edition was full of world junior championship veterans and players available due to the NHL lockout. This team featured a roster of newcomers, but they came together to shut down the likes of Russia, the U.S., and Finland.

"I really felt comfortable with the team that we had," said Sutter. "They stuck together as a team, played hard, competed and stayed with the program.

"Tonight showed their commitment. A lot of people underestimated the skill we had on this team."

The squad outscored their foes 25-6.

"We just wanted to keep things simple and keep them off the scoreboard as best we could and we did it pretty well," defenceman Ryan Parent said in explaining the players' dedication to the system.

In the final, it was a case of déjà vu all over again for Russian goalie Anton Khudobin. Khudobin was pulled from last year's gold-medal final after allowing three goals in the 6-1 win Canada.

As well, the Canadian team neutralized Evgeni Malkin, the player chosen second overall behind Alexander Ovechkin by Pittsburgh in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

The crowd at General Motors Place erupted when Winnipeg native Dustin Boyd sent Malkin flying into the boards midway through a spirited first.

Pogge kept the Russians off the scoresheet, and Canada endured a furious scramble on a power-play with under seven minutes to go in the first.

Pogge kicked out his right pad to foil Sergei Shirokov and seconds later snared a shot that had been deflected with his glove.

The shots were 15-3 for Russia at the time, but the Canadians were about to take over.

"We had a slow start and he bailed us out again," Chipchura said of Pogge.

Downie, of Queensville, Ont., opened the scoring late in the period when he took the puck behind Russians net and wheeled out front, firing a wrist shot on the ice that eluded Khudobin.

Andrew Cogliano of Woodbridge, Ont., and Comeau, of Meadow Lake, Sask., drew assists on the play, at 17:30 of the period.

"I didn't even know if I'd be on this team when I started out," said Downie. "I snuck in at the last minute and I worked hard to get here."

The Canadians kept the pressure on, and the crowd grew positively rabid when Comeau put his own rebound home at 18:56 of the period.

The turning point of the game may have come early in the second when it appeared Nikolai Lemtyugov stuffed the puck into the short side past Pogge after a rush. The goaltender had his pad wedged against the post, and the on-ice officials ruled it was a save.

Video replays, however, revealed the puck had crossed the line behind Pogge.

Play resumed, and at the next whistle there was a delay while referees consulted with off-ice officials and the two teams, but the call stood.

The Russians controlled the play much of the first half of the middle period, but could not convert, leading to Canada's next offensive burst.

With the team enjoying a man advantage, Blunden backhanded the puck with his back to the net through Khudobin's legs for his first goal of the tournament.

The Gloucester, Ont., native repeated the feat not long after, picking up a loose puck in front of the net and scoring on the power play at 14:44.

Unlike last year, when the Russians seemed to fold when confronted with a deficit, the team kept coming in the third, but were unable to convert against Pogge.

The speedy Cogliano then rushed headlong into the Russian zone, setting up captain Chipchura's rebound goal at 17:15.

The celebrations only picked up steam at the final buzzer for the Canadian team and fans.

"It's better than I could possibly imagine," Downie said.

The dejected Russians, with eight players returning from last year's team, could only watch.

In the bronze medal game, Finland defeated the U.S., 4-2.