Team Canada decisively stamped its ticket to the final with a 5-0 victory over the Russians. They saw goals from five individual scorers, including Alex Newhook, who returned from injury to score just 59 seconds into the game. Connor McMichael and Cole Perfetti both added goals before the first period ended, Braden Schneider added another in the second, and top-scorer Dylan Cozens topped it off with an empty-netter in the third. But Devon Levi was arguably the star of the show, stopping all 27 Russian shots on net in his second consecutive shutout.
Canada has looked completely unstoppable throughout the tournament, with a 33:4 goal differential in the preliminary round and two shutouts in the playoffs so far. Levi looks unbeatable, with a .975 save percentage (SV%) and a 0.53 goals-against average (GAA). Cozens has now moved into a tie with America’s Trevor Zegras with 16 points. But they have plenty of scoring depth as well with the likes of McMichael, Peyton Krebs, and second overall pick Quinton Byfield, among others. They have been the favorites since the beginning, and they will remain the clear favorites now.
And on the 12th day, the Hockey Gods gifted us with the perfect ending to the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship — Canada versus the United States with a gold medal on the line. It did not disappoint.
