2005 WORLD JR. HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP - Dec. 25 - Jan. 4, 2005

[BOREALIS]

Canada 8, Sweden 1 ~ played Dec. 27

Posted on Tue, Dec. 28, 2004

Canada routs Sweden
Team Canada in control of Pool B after 8-1 win

By Tim Campbell
Winnipeg Free Press


Winnipeggers and Manitobans flocked across the international border Monday to make Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks Canada's home ice for a World Junior Championship matinee.
Team Canada showed its appreciation by making The Ralph a house of pain for Sweden, blitzing the Swedes 8-1 before a near sellout crowd of 10,739.

The mauling put Canada in the driver's seat in Pool B, now 2-0. Saturday's opening-day 7-3 victory over Slovakia -- at least a mid-game lapse -- hadn't been forgotten and the Canadians put their foot on the pedal for most of Monday's contest.

"That was our goal, try to play a full 60 minutes and try to see what we could do, what damage we could do if we put a full 60 minutes together," Team Canada captain Mike Richards said. "We played really well defensively."

The affair wasn't without its own adversity, as Canada ran into a rash of penalties and twice had to defend two-man disadvantages -- thanks to the work of Czech referee Milan Minar.

At 1-1 late in the first, Canada went down two men for 47 seconds, but Richards had the best chances from a partial breakaway and his own rebound.

Clarke MacArthur and Nigel Dawes scored early in the second period to make it 3-1 and the red-and-white clad fans were delirious when Canada killed a second 5-on-3 that lasted two full minutes.

Patrice Bergeron and Sidney Crosby pumped in goals later in the period as Canada took the game by the throat and didn't relent. Both of Crosby's scores came on power plays.

MacArthur said that Canada got a huge charge from Richards' big plays near the end of the first.

"That's why he is the leader," MacArthur said. "He set the bar really high tonight. That was a great play on the 5-on-3. It gave us a lot of energy going into the second.

"It's always tough with that many penalties against. It can make or break thegame. We had to refocus and did a great job recovering. For sure it was momentum."

Team Canada coach Brent Sutter has been pounding the drum about focus, wanting today to be the only thing on his players' radar screens. He's been demanding mental strength, attention to detail, insisting that his team's skill level will take care of business if those other items fall into place.

He got his wish against Sweden.

"From the opening faceoff right through, I thought our game was really complete," Sutter said.

Richards said that against Sweden, Team Canada saw clearly why Sutter's plan makes sense.

"Coach Sutter kind of addressed us and really put into our minds that every game in the tournament is going to be the biggest game," Richards said.

"Christmas Day is over and we came into tonight thinking tonight was the biggest game. With that mindset, everybody really brings it every night."

And unlike against the Slovakians, when Canada was comfortably ahead, it hammered on the Swedes to the finish.

Crosby, for instance, scored a gritty power-play goal 21 seconds into the third, sticking with his own rebound while he was being pestered by Sweden's Carl Soderberg.

"They were a good team," Crosby said. "I just think we played our game pretty much perfect tonight. You're never perfect, but we were in there getting pucks deep and everyone was skating and we're a deep team."

Crosby said Team Canada played with the edge it had been seeking.

"It was pretty chippy out there," he said. "For all the penalties we killed, too, to score eight goals and have to kill that many penalties, that's great for our team."

Swedish head coach Torgny Bendelin said the game was right where his team wanted it -- 1-1 through 20 minutes -- before mistakes ruined their day. "I'm really satisfied with the way the team played the first period, but weshould have used the five-on-three chances we had in the first period to put more pressure on Canada," Bendelin said. "But simple mistakes in the second period made the game switch around totally." Too many players we have aren't used to playing at this level. I have five or six players playing regularly in the Elite League at home but the level there is not as high as here. We played against absolutely the best junior level in the world today.

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/sports/special_packages/world_juniors/10512003.htm