EDMONTON, AB – The U-20 USA hockey team dropped the second game they played in the preliminary round of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Junior Championships this afternoon at Rexall Plaza. Finland shocked a favored American team 4-1 scoring three times in the third period to beat Team USA. Finland and the United States now have identical records of 1-1 in Pool B. It was the first time Finland has beaten Team USA in WJC competition in six years.
In somewhat of a surprise USA coach Dean Blais started John Gibson in goal rather than regular starter Jack Campbell. Gibson played well but his counterpart Sami Aittokallio in goal for Finland made 37 saves on 38 shots and was the difference as he made a number of outstanding saves that positioned Finland for the win.
Finish forward Joel Armia who is property of the Buffalo Sabers led his team with three points on two goals and an assist. Brandon Saad had the lone goal for the Americans. The United States played good defense for the first two periods limiting Finland for to just four shots in the first period and only five shots in period two.
However, the Finnish team broke through first 1:21 into the second period as Armia set up Miikka Salomaki who beat Gibson high with a wrist shot. The Americans kept coming however once again outshooting Finland with 16 shots on goal in the middle stanza. They could not however dent the Finnish defense and goal tender Aittokallio. Accordingly the Finns took a 1-0 lead into the third period.
Finally just 19 seconds into the third stanza the United States tied the score as Saad got a tip in to tie the game 1-1. Forward Charlie Coyle won a faceoff in the Finnish zone, shoveled the puck to Emerson Etem on the side boards who in turn shot the puck on net where Saad finished the scoring play. That turned out to be the only bright spot for the Americans.
Armia became the instant hero for Finland at 9:07 when he walked around an off balance defenseman and beat Gibson with a shot just off the ice surface. While the crowd was still processing that goal an attempted pass by Finland’s Mikael Granlund hit the skate of a USA defenseman and deflected past Gibson for a 3-1 lead just 29 seconds later at 9:36. Next up at 16:27 the American’s defense coughed the puck up in their own zone and that mistake ended up as Armia’s second goal and the 4-1 margin of victory.
The US will play the Czech Republic on Friday in what is now a must win game while Finland will be favored over winless Denmark on the same day.
Contact the author at Phil.Brand@prohockeynews.com
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