Canadian junior adds two wins.Aim for a playoff spot at Junior World
It wasn’t a perfect day, but Canada’s U21 team continued to rack up wins at the World Junior Championships in Lohja, Finland, on Monday.
The women’s team, skipped by Myra Plett, lost to Scotland on the opening day but bounced back with a draw in the evening and snatched an extra-time victory from Japan.
The men’s team, without Johnson Tao, added another win to improve its record to 3 wins and 1 loss.
After struggling with draw weight early on, Tao and the Edmonton-based team of Jadon Neuert, Adam Naugler and Zach Davis eventually caught up and finished well. Canada trailed by one point at the fifth end break, but quickly took the lead with two points and a steal. They finished with a 6-3 victory.
“The game started off slow, but the level of play really increased in the second half,” Tao said. “There are a lot of good points, so I’ll try to take advantage of them in tomorrow’s match.”
There are two Canadian men’s games on Tuesday’s schedule. They will draw with Italy in the morning and face Norway in the evening. The team is supported by coach Skip Wilson, assistant coach Ben Morin and team leader Rob Kreps.
Meanwhile, the women’s team played two very close games today with mixed results. In a no-hammer draw in the morning’s game against Scotland, the Canadians were unable to convert steals, allowing a single and losing 5-4.
They tried to make a comeback in the evening against Japan in a draw, but it was still their last match. Trailing by one in the 10th end, Canada was only two points away from Japan’s Momoha Tabata making a tough runback to eliminate one of Canada’s counters.
Plett, with Alyssa Nedohin holding the broom and Chloe Fediuk and Aly Iskiu sweeping, attempted a difficult angle raise and caught a 4-footer, but it wasn’t enough and she only scored a single.
In overtime, Canada took advantage of Japan’s mistake on Tabata’s first shot to create a steal opportunity. Plett’s final draw slipped several inches deeper than they had hoped, but Japan still faced a difficult shot to score.
After knocking down the first shot, Tabata overcompensated and hit the second, giving Canada a steal and a point for a 7-5 victory.
“It was very exciting for the team to win against a great team like Japan,” Iskew said after the game. “We just kept playing within ourselves and trying to make every shot the best it could be. You never know what could happen.”
The women’s team (coach Blair Renton, assistant coach David Nedohin and team leader Lori Olson) will play one game against Turkey on Tuesday, followed by a nine-game round robin.
Halfway through the event, the men’s and women’s teams have already equaled or exceeded their win total from last year’s World Championships, and the teams have qualified for December’s Group B Championships. A few more wins would not only improve their chances of making the playoffs, but they would also finish in the top six and secure a spot in next year’s A Group Championship.
The boys are currently tied for second place in this event, and the girls are tied for third. The top four will advance to the playoffs.
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