January 2, 2009
What we learned: Anything can happen. I think most everyone thought this game would go Team USA’s way, but that’s why they play the game.
Let me read you a couple stats and you tell me who you think would win.
Team A outshoots Team B 47-19
Team B gets only 2 shots in the second period
Team A has 8 first round draft picks
Based on that you’d be lying if you thought Team B was going to come away with the victory.
But, that’s why they play the game.
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You can’t say enough about Jaroslav Janus and the way he carried his team. He had some lucky bounces and some posts to help him along the way, but he was the difference for Slovakia.
His best moments came in the first 10 minutes of the game when he held the U.S. scoreless on several occasions and even stopped Schroeder on a penalty shot.
 “Early on in the game we had a lot of really golden opportunities to score goals and whether it was saves or missed opportunities, we didn’t capitalize those and that haunted us as the game went along,” said U.S. coach Ron Rolston.
I can assure you if the U.S. had scored 2 or 3 goals early, they would have been the ones playing shut down hockey and Slovakia isn’t as skilled so it would have been a different game.
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The Dustin Tokarski save on Colin Wilson in the U.S.-Canada game will probably be marked as the save of the tournament because it came in such a big game for Canada, however I contend that save was outdone by Janus.
U.S. forward Tyler Johnson was the last man in on a scramble in front of the net and the rebound was right outside the crease. Janus had to flip back to his left and swipe out at the puck to snag Johnson’s backhand attempt.
The reason I think this save outdoes Tokarski’s is the speed that Johnson had and the makeup of the play. Janus had a U.S. player crashing hard taking all of his focus on his right and then the puck popped out behind him. He had less than a second to realize where the puck was and that a U.S. player was right there.
Tokarski had a 1-on-1 with Wilson and could focus entirely on one guy. I don’t want to take anything away from either player, but Janus’ reaction was more impressive to me than Tokarski’s very good move.
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Key play: Slovakia’s fourth goal crippled the U.S. comeback. It was typical of the way the night went with the puck fluttering off a rebound into the air and then batted down and in to the net.
The goal was important not only because it rebuilt Slovakia’s 2-goal advantage, but it also gave the underdog final realization that the upset was a real possibility.
At that point in the game, the U.S. was buzzing and peppering Janus and a tying goal seemed imminent. When the puck popped in to the U.S. net it sent shockwaves down the bench and through the crowd as everyone suddenly realized the upset of the tournament was at hand.
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Ice chips: If it seemed to you like the U.S. was dominating the game, you’re not alone. The U.S. was firing at will and moving the puck wherever they wanted for much of the game.
What really hurt the team was the fact Slovakia was turning their few chances into goals while the U.S. was getting nothing out of their many chances.
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Although it hurt to watch the loss, seeing Slovakia celebrate with such passion and hearing players and coaches talk about what the win means for their country was inspiring.
Had the U.S. won, the hockey world wouldn’t have blinked. The upset instead becomes an iconic day for Slovakian hockey in their first win over the U.S. junior team since 1998. I wanted the U.S. to win all the way, but you have to tip your hat to the small European country for their accomplishment.
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Jim Johannson has seen a lot of international hockey and witnessed his fair share of upsets. He said while this certainly wasn’t the biggest upset he’s seen the U.S. take, it might hurt the most.
“There’s been bigger upsets,” he said. “I’d say it just ranks high in the disappointment department. This is probably the most disappointing loss at juniors that I’ve been associated with.”
Johannson said Janus’ effort was impressive but said the bounces not going Team USA’s way also had an affect.
“We didn’t get any bounces but we didn’t create many bounces for ourselves either,” he said. “So it’s kind of two-fold.”
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The Slovakian defense helped shut down the game and midway through the third when they had their two-goal advantage they were sending one fore checker in and then the other four players dropped back to their own blue line like they were lining up for the national anthem.
It presented a difficult situation for the U.S. in getting the puck deep since every lane was covered.
“I thought they made it extremely tough for us to move the puck up the ice surface all the way through, which we knew coming in,” Rolston said.
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It will be a mere footnote to the game and that’s a shame, but van Riemsdyk’s goal in the closing moments was amazing.
He split the defense and fought off a maze of sticks and skates to find the puck while falling down and beat Janus on the backhand.
If that goal had factored into the outcome, it would be all over the place tomorrow, but unfortunately for van Riemsdyk, it’s just a goal that he barely celebrated.
“No, not really,” he said of a celebration. “I thought there was a little glimmer. We hit a couple pipes after that and if one of those goes in we still have like 20 seconds left and it’s a different story.”
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In a game of bounces that didn’t go Team USA’s way, one really bad one was the Slovak’s third goal. Ian Cole had an open man beyond his blue line and turned to pass it too him off the boards. Instead the puck hit the linesman and bounced to Jozef Molnar who then fired on McCollum and deflected it off a U.S. boot and in.
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The next step is the fifth place game on Sunday and the opponent is yet to be determined. The U.S. will play either Russia or Czech Republic and Rolston will have his hands full getting his troops motivated. The carrot on this stick will be to help the U.S. avoid its worst finish since 1999, eighth place, should they lose the game.
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I'll be back later to discuss this huge upset and add some comments from Team USA.
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END OF GAME: USA 3-SVK 5. The Slovaks are mobbing Janus at their crease and rightfully so. He delivered an amazing performance and scored one of his country's biggest wins.
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00:02 - U.S. has a couple more whacks at it but the puck just wan't go in.
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00:35 - Faceoff in Slovak zone.
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1:18 - GOAL: USA 3-SVK 5. JVR scores a jaw dropping goal that'll be a great highlight, but it's likely too little too late.
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1:37 - Frustration boils over for the U.S., and Bowman and a Slovak go off for roughing. Timeout by the U.S. Hopefully Rolston has been saving a 3-goals in a minute play all tournament.
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2:14 - GOAL: USA 2-SVK 5 - The biggest upset of the tournament is all but sealed with an empty netter.
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3:29 - You have to wonder when McCollum will be pulled for the extra attaker.
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4:18 - Faceoff in Slovak zone. U.S. needs luck now.
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6:00 - The U.S. is in full attack mmode now. They have to be. Elimination is on the horizon.
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8:22 - goal stands. Slovakia seems on the verge of beating the U.S. for the first time since 1998.
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8:22 - GOAL: USA 2-SVK 4. A puck gets batted around in front of the net and bounces in. It's under review now. The slovaks went and tried to celebrate by the U.S. bench and the linesmen headed them off.
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9:05 - Puck nearly deflected into the U.S. net.
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9:44 - Penalty killed. Now the U.S. is pressing a bit and rightfully so.
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12:27 - Wilson caught for goalie interference. It comes just as the U.S. was putting some heavy pressure on Janus.
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14:29 - GOAL: USA 2-SVK 3 - Blum punches home a loose puck on the power play. Down to 1 now.
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16:11 - Slovak penalty negates power play and the U.S. gets the man advantage now.
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17:59 - Palushaj gets a penalty for interference. This is basically a chance for Slovakia to kill 2 minutes.
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20:00 - We're back. Can the U.S. overcome this test? They have the talent. It's a matter of execution now.
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The Slovaks are going to come out focused on holding the lead. Expect an extra man back at all times. The U.S. is going to have to change things up on the fly.
If Slovakia gets another goal, it could be lights out.
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END OF PERIOD: USA 1-SVK 3. The US outshot Slovakia 16-2 that period and only one of those was a good shot. The U.S. just can't crack Janus. You get the feeling if they can get one, the could get 5, but time is running out.
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3:05 - Janus just may have made the save of the tournament. He stretched across a gaping net and gloved down Tyler Johnsons bid from the goal line.
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3:35 - One shot for slovakia this frame. It's got to be frustrating for the U.S.
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5:40 - U.S. can't buy a bounce. Theh puck floated over the net twice on that power play. 19 ticks left in the advantage.
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7:06 - U.S. on the PP
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7:44 - Janus is a wall today. He just stuffed two or three chances right on the doorstep.
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8:43 - Slovakia still doesn't have a shot. Schroeder had an open shot poked away by a forward at the last second.
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10:10 - Great job by Hoeffel on the penalty kill. He kept two Slovaks contained behind their own net and controlled the puck.
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12:09 - Big penalty kill now for the U.S. O'Brien hit with an elbowing call.
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12:45 - No power play goal, but the U.S. is outshooting Slovakia 5-0 this period.
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15:29 - U.S power play back to work. trying to cut the margin to 1. Faceoff in U.S. zone.
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16:44 - Wilson nearly scored and the U.S. is back to controlling play. Another amazing play by Slovakia as Kytnar slid in front of an open net to block another shot.
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18:45 - Cole hit the post through a crowd.
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19:22 - We're back. Slovak player is down and doctors are working on him
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Rolston is probably telling his players to not press. The game is still a long way from over and if the U.S. can duplicate the number of scoring chances they had that first period, a two-goal hole isn't as big as it sounds. If Team USA panics, this one could get worse fast.
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END OF PERIOD. USA 1-SVK 3. The U.S. dominated about 90 percent of the period but made three mistakes. That gives Team USA a big hole to climb out of.
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2:07 - GOAL: USA 1-SVK 3. A Cole pass doesn't go up ice and is intercepted and fired on net. The puck took a deflection and found a home behind McCollum.
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3:14 - PP over. McCollum just had to fall on another loose puck in his crease. The U.S. has a bad ebb and flow to the game. They dominate then fall asleep and Slovakia makes them pay.
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5:36 - Another U.S. PP about to start.
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6:19 - GOAL: USA 1-SVK 2. Two mistakes, two goals for Slovakia. this time it was a bad clearance that left McCollum alone with Tomas Tatar, who backhanded it top shelf as he was falling down. This team is too dangerous.
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7:59 - GOAL: USA 1-SVK 1. Schroeder gave the puck to Wilson in space, who found a streaking Ian Cole from the point for an easy goal. Quick response by the U.S. and a nice job by van Riemsdyk in front of the net.
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8:31 - Powerplay for U.S.A
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8:55 - GOAL: USA 0-SVK 1. Bezak takes a pass from Kytnar and heads down the right wing and beats McCollum with a wrist shot glove side. The U.S. makes one mistake and it ends in a goal.
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10:00 - The U.S. is controlling everything. They will either score soon or draw a penalty.
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11:35 - Schroeder's backhand alone in front is saved by Janus' blocker. He's a little snake bitten tonight.
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13:57 - Drayson Bowman found Mitch Wahl on the doorstep and Janus held strong again with a quick glove.
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14:50 - Schroeder stoned on a great chance by Slovak goalie Jaroslav Janus.
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16:50 - The U.S. is controlling most of the play.
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19:05 - Jordan Schroeder misses a penalty shot after Colin Wilson was hooked on a breakaway.
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20:00 - And we're off. The U.S. is looking to punch a ticket to the semis.
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Pregame:
We're under 18 minutes until faceoff. Rolston is going to send out Thomas McCollum in net and his top line of McDonagh, Blum, Schroeder, van Riemsdyk and Wilson.
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Keep an eye on Slovakia's top line combo of Bezak and Kytnar. They are a scoring threat and can draw penalites. I'm also going to be interested to see the intensity in Team USA and see if they can control their emotions and focus on the task at hand in every shift.
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Team USA kicks off the playoff rounds at this tournament when it faces Slovakia. It's snowing hard here in Ottawa and the bus ride to the rink was a little longer than usual.
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U.S. Men's National Team GM Brian Burke is in the building tonight. He joins the large gathering of general managers and scouts from NHL teams, but he also has interests in Team USA as well. I'll see if I can get a couple minutes to chat with him.
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We've witnessed six games including exhibition and we have an injury to announce. The web guy, that's me, is day-to-day with a lower body injury.
OK, I'll spill the beans. I went out to skate on the Rideau Canal for my first time on outdoor ice and was having a great time until I tried to go fast and my skate fell into a big crack in the ice and I hit the deck. I have a lovely bruise and bump on my knee and I wish I had video of the fall to share with you.
I tell you all this not really because I think you'll care about the fall, but more to tell those of you who don't know of the canal about the skating opportunity. When it's frozen throughout, you have miles of open ice ahead of you. If you're planning a trip to Ottawa in the winter, plan on skating.
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I wanted to quickly share a couple of good e-mails that have come in today. My response is in italics.
Great write up on the game between USA and Canada.
I think one of the reasons for the taunting on both sides are so many of these guys know each other and we must remember that they're all under 20.
That's no excuse but kids will be kids.
Good luck against Slovakia. I think Team USA will easily beat them and the game between the USA and Sweden will be epic. The USA with the talent they have should beat Sweden. (I'm hoping)
If Canada can wins their semi, it'll be another amazing game between the world's 2 hockey super powers. A USA - Canada final would be the best possible outcome for this years tournament. (IMO) I think the majority of Canadians will be cheering for the USA (they'll get booed but people want to see a Canada-USA final)
Gary
Thanks for the note Gary. I've heard from several Canadian fans who admit to secretly cheering for the U.S. today because they want gold medal rematch. I agree they'll all be booing in today's game, but deep down everyone except for the Swedes, Slovaks, Russians and Czechs want to see a U.S. and Canada gold medal game.
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Thanks for your post on the Canada-US game in Ottawa on New Year’s Eve. It was, as you said, a game for the ages. Canada was very fortunate to have been able to pull this one out. The US has made amazing strides in its junior program, ever since it adopted the national training program in Ann Arbor, which I had the pleasure of watching a few summers ago.
Although hoping for a gold medal for Canada, I’m predicting a Canada-US final on January 5.
Robert
What I like about your comment Robert is that it shows the respect the Ann Arbor National Team Development Program is getting internationally. The program is producing excellent players and coaches and pushing the talent level higher and higher.
Comments? Questions? Send them to camerone@usahockey.org |