Bedard shines as Canada demolishes Germany to bounce back at world juniors

Connor Bedard had a hat-trick and four assists as Canada got back on track at the World Junior Hockey Championships on Wednesday with a bold 11-2 win over Germany.

Dylan Guenther also scored hat-tricks — all passed by Bedard — while Brandt Clarke and Logan Stankoven each scored one goal and two assists.

Shane Wright and Joshua Roy each scored one goal and one assist each, and Zack Ostapchuk also scored for the league hosts, who opened at home on Monday with a nasty loss. tiger 5-2 against Czechia.

Bedard’s seven points set Canada’s one-game record at the tournament, alongside Dave Andreychuk (1983), Brenden Morrow (1999), Mike Cammalleri (2002) and Gabriel Bourque (2010).

Thomas Milic made 14 saves in his first World Youth Championship match for Canada. Roman Kechter and Philip Sinn answered for Germany, who were 30 stops away from Simon Wolf before he was replaced by Rihards Babulis in the third inning in a merciless struggle. Babulis finished with 11 saves.

WATCH 3 goals, 4 assists by Bedard, Canada, Germany:

Connor Bedard leads Canada over Germany at World Youth Championship

Predicted as the No 1 draft pick, Connor Bedard scored 3 goals and provided 4 assists to help Canada win 11-2 over Germany at the World Youth Championship.

Canada, who made it 16-0 against the all-time German at the men’s under-20s showcase, will now quickly pivot to face Austria – having taken a 20-0 lead over two of their games. them – on Thursday back at the Scotiabank Center.

After Tuesday’s 0-1 defeat to Sweden in a game that saw Nikita Quapp save 43 shots in a losing attempt, Germany rests on Thursday ahead of Friday’s meeting with Austria.

A talented team with nine NHL draft picks in the first round, plus a top 5 picks for 2023 Bedard and Adam Fantilli, Canada were stunned by the Czechs in a sporadic close-out, tedium leaves the powerhouse’s most beloved teams searching for answers.

That included players questioning their own readiness and preparedness, while Fantilli and Bedard both attempted an early “The Michigan” lacrosse-style move and failed – the following sequences seen as a symptom of the Canadians’ lax approach to a weaker opponent.

Guenther opened the scoring with a power play in the first half thanks to a Bedard pass, and it looked like Canada had taken a 2-0 lead a few minutes later only to have the goal blown up after the whistle. the referee before the ball goes over the goal line.

The Canadian, who had a disallowed goal against the Czechs, should have made it 2-0 before their woeful opponents equalized shortly afterwards on Monday, may have felt a bit deja vu when Ketcher made a shot past Milic to end the game.

But Wright was scored his second goal of the tournament in another play of power when a German defender cushioned the ball into his net.

Bedard, who scored four goals in an 11-2 win over Austria last December before those world juniors were shelved by COVID-19, then made it 3-1 when the 17-year-old was smooth. which rips off his pass. shot past Wolf and scored another early in the second half due to a mistake on the keeper.

Milic, who saved all 10 shots he faced after coming on as a substitute for Benjamin Gaudreau in the second half of a shocking performance for Canada two nights earlier, did not. had a lot of work to do on the other end, but played solidly when summoned.

Bedard scored a hat-trick in another power play before Rayan Bettahar was awarded a penalty and sent off for a foul on Fantilli’s head.

That’s when the flood really opened up for Canada against Germany, whose only two players were drafted by NHL teams – including Quapp, who went shirtless on Wednesday.

Guenther scored the second after a sleek assist from Bedard to make it 6-1 and Clarke netted a German defender.

Bedard then scored third-place Guenther in the same power play, and Stankoven added another late in the half to take a 9-1 lead for 40 minutes.

Ostapchuk soon made it 10-1 in the third half before Bedard set up Roy for a seventh point of the evening.

Sinn has a late goal after the power play of Germany.

acrobatic goalkeeper

Milic was perfect after replacing Gaudreau on Monday 5-2 for the Czechs — after a rough start.

“Great way to come,” Milic joked Tuesday. “The camera was right in front of me too. I just laughed out loud about it. I think to be honest, it can help relieve a bit of stress from being cold to such a stressful situation.

“All went well.”

VIEW | Canada stunned by the Czech Republic in the opening match of the World Youth Championship:

Canada never recovered from the penalty that led to the Czech pair of goals

After Canada was awarded a penalty for breaking the law, the Czech Republic scored twice to send the game out of hand.