WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE: QUARTERFINAL ROUND GETS UNDERWAY THIS WEEK
Jun 2, 2021Five former or current Rochester Americans from four different countries have a shot to claim gold in hockey’s grandest spectacle at the 84th annual 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Riga, Latvia. The quarterfinals round opens Thursday, June 3 at 9:15 a.m. local time before the three-week, 16-team tournaments concludes with the gold-medal game this coming Sunday at 1:15 p.m.
CANADA
With two gold medals and two silver medals since 2015, Team Canada is aiming to add the collection having snuck into the quarterfinals despite just a 3-0-1-3 record (10 points, W-OTW-OTL-L). Canada earned a position inside the top eight thanks to Germany’s 2-1 win over Latvia on Tuesday. Canada, which lost its first three games of the tournament by a combined 10-2 score, countered with three straight wins before falling in a shootout to close out the preliminary round.
Since 1931, Canada has won the world championship 26 times in its 72 appearances and collected 15 silver medals and nine bronze since 1920.
Forward Justin Danforth made his first appearance at the highest international level after representing Canada twice at World Junior A Challenge in 2011 and 2012, skating in six games. The former Amerk and 2017-18 ECHL Rookie of the Year made his World Championship debut with three shots against Latvia on May 21 and finished the tournament with nine.
Team Canada faces Russia in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 1:15 p.m. from Olympic Sports Centre in Riga.
RUSSIA
With its 6-0 victory to close out the preliminary round on Tuesday, Russia secured the top spot in Group A with a 5-1-0-1 record (W-OTW-OTL-L) and 17 points. Following a 3-1 loss to Slovakia, Russia countered with four straight wins, including a pair of shutout victories.
Having won the bronze medal in 2019 and having earned medals in four of the last five tournaments, Russia, which has made the quarterfinals every year since 2004, is in pursuit of its 13th medal in 18 years at the annual event.
Former Amerk Mikhail Grigorenko returned to the international stage for the fourth time in the last four international events. In four games in this year’s event, he registered three goals and four assists for seven points. Grigorenko, who claimed his first gold medal while representing the Olympic Athletes of Russia at the 2018 Winter Olympics, ranked second among all Russians in goals, points and shots (17).
Team Canada faces Russia in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 1:15 p.m. from Olympic Sports Centre in Riga.
SWEDEN
Despite winning the 2017 and 2018 World Championships, Team Sweden has failed to reach the medal-round after finishing ninth in this year’s event and fifth in 2019. Prior to this year’s event, the Swedes have earned a total of seven medals in the last 11 years dating back to its bronze medal in 2009.
Former Amerk and current Buffalo Sabres forward Victor Olofsson finished his first appearance at the World Championship with a team-leading two power-play goals and tied for first among all Swedish forwards in both goals (3) and points (4) in seven games. After scoring a goal versus Switzerland on May 25 and adding an assist against Great Britain on May 28, Olofsson delivered the game-winning tally versus Slovakia May 30.
Lawrence Pilut, meanwhile, appeared in seven games in his World Championship debut, collecting a pair of assists. The two-time AHL All-Star defenseman finished fourth among all Swedes in points. He earned the primary helper in Sweden’s 7-0 win over Switzerland before concluding the tournament with an assist on the game-winning goal versus Great Britain.
FINLAND
As winners of the most recent tournament in 2019 after last year’s event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Finland (17 points, 4-2-1-0, W-OTW-OTL-L) has made it to the quarterfinals this year in Latvia. The Finns, who have not earned back-to-back gold medals since its first appearance back in 1939, have responded with four consecutive wins after a 2-1 shootout loss to Kazakhstan. With only two players who appeared in an NHL contest in 2020-21 and seven others in the KHL, the Finns have finished seventh or better every year since 2005.
Forward Arttu Ruotsalainen ranked second among all Finn skaters with four goals and five points through seven games. Ruotsalainen netted the game-winning goal in Finland’s 2-1 victory over Germany last Saturday and produced a two-goal effort before adding the shootout-clinching marker against Canada on Tuesday. Following the 3-2 shootout win, Ruotsalainen was honored as the Finn’s Best Player.
The Finns will meet up with Czech Republic in quarterfinals on Thursday at 1:15 p.m. from Arēna Rīga.
UNITED STATES
Team USA (18 points, 6-0-0-1, W-OTW-OTL-L) enters the quarterfinal round riding a six-game winning streak after earning the top spot in Group B play after dropping the opening game to the Finns, 2-1. The United States, who are looking to medal for the fourth time since 2013, outscored the opposition 21-8 in the event this year while also ranking first in both penalty-kill (95.0%) and save percentage (.951). The Americans have not allowed more than two goals in each of their seven games this year and have posted a pair of shutouts backstopped by goaltender Cal Petersen, a fifth-round pick (129th overall) of the Buffalo Sabres in 2013.
The three former Amerks consisting of forwards Colin Blackwell and Tage Thompson and defenseman Matt Tennyson have combined to record four goals and three assists for seven points while posting a plus-nine on-ice rating in 14 games.
Tennyson’s two goals and four points are tied for most amongst the U.S. defensemen. The 6-foot-2, 205 blueliner opened the scoring just 66 seconds into the game with Latvia on May 27 before finishing off the scoring in the Americans’ 5-1 win over Canada on May 23.
Blackwell, who is also serving as alternate captain, secured the Americans 2-0 victory over the Germans on Monday as he added an empty netter with 27 seconds left in regulation. Blackwell was named Team USA’s Best Player in the 2-1 win over Norway.
Thompson has posted a pair of points (1+1) in five games. Despite missing two games due to an upper-body injury earlier in the tournament, Thompson earned the secondary assist in the first Americans goal versus Norway on May 29 before registering the eventual game-winning tally in the middle frame.
The Americans are seeking their sixth medal (all bronze) in the last 24 years and first gold at the annual event since 1960.
Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams is serving on the advisory group for the United States.
The Americans square off with Slovakia in the first-round of the quarterfinals on Thursday at 9:15 a.m. from Arēna Rīga.