Michael Hage scored on a power play 44 seconds into overtime as Canada survived a blown late lead to pick up a 2-1 victory over Latvia at the world junior hockey championship Saturday in Minneapolis.
Cole Reschny had the other goal for the Canadians. Jack Ivankovic made 26 saves. Gavin McKenna had two assists.
Rudolfs Berzkalns replied for Latvia. Nils Maurins stopped 36 shots.
Hage buried a one-timer on a 4-on-3 man advantage off a McKenna setup in the extra period to rescue his country before the Montreal Canadiens prospect was mobbed by teammates after Latvia’s Roberts Naudins was whistled for delay of game late in the third.
Canada, which topped the Czech Republic 7-5 in Friday’s opener after getting eliminated by the same opponent at the quarterfinal stage the last two tournaments, gently ticked another revenge box following a stunning shootout loss to Latvia — one of the biggest upsets in tournament history — exactly one year prior in Ottawa.
Canada’s next game at the men’s under-20 tournament is Monday against Denmark before wrapping up Group B play on New Year’s Eve against Finland.
The lacklustre Canadians, which like last year were playing the second of a back-to-back against the rested Latvians in their curtain-raiser at the annual showcase, broke through in the second period after Martins Klaucans was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for an illegal check to the head on Zayne Parekh.
Reschny took a pass from McKenna on the ensuing power play and wheeled into the slot before the Calgary Flames prospect fired past Maurins at 2:22. Tij Iginla followed up with a shot off the post, but that’s as close as Canada would come to doubling its lead with the man advantage against the determined Latvians.
Gavin McKenna was destined to become Canada’s next hockey star
Ben Danford — a Toronto Maple Leafs first-round pick — took a double-minor for high-sticking later in the period that Canada killed off without ever really being threatened.
Caleb Desnoyers had a great chance to make it 2-0 midway through the third only to be denied by Maurins on the doorstep and Brady Martin clanked a shot off the crossbar with under five minutes to go in regulation.
That left the door open for the Latvians, and they pounced with 1:58 left when Berzkalns kicked the puck from his skate to his stick for the equalizer before the penalty to Naudins set the stage for the late drama.
Ivankovic, who wasn’t at fault for the Latvian disaster 365 days earlier and got the start at 3M Arena on the University of Minnesota campus after Carter George played Friday, had to be sharp early.
The North Americans, who outshot the Latvians 57-26 a year ago, didn’t register an effort on goal at 5-on-5 until the midway point of the first period and Markuss Sieradkis appeared to give the Latvians the lead. But the puck was deemed to have been kicked in before Canada started to push late in a period that ended 0-0 — the same score as last year’s stunner in the nation’s capital.
Porter Martone apologized in the hours before the 3:30 p.m. local time puck drop for his actions in the dying moments of Friday’s victory. The Canadian captain scored the empty-net clincher and was then assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after skating past Czechia’s bench and tapping forward Adam Novotny on his backside.
“Unacceptable,” Martone told reporters at the team’s hotel. “It sets a bad [example] … I take full responsibility.”
Hockey Canada also issued an apology after the team failed to take part in the post-game handshake line with the Czechs.
“Hockey Canada takes full responsibility for this oversight and we have apologized to the team, Czech Ice Hockey Association and (International Ice Hockey Federation) for our mistake,” the federation said in a statement Saturday.
