On a short break, Jakub Kos fed Rysavy and the Prerov-trained Moose Jaw Warrior fired the puck off Garand’s right post and the back bar. The puck came out of the net so quickly that play resumed, but after video review, the Czechs were correctly ahead 1-0 at 5:10. It was the first time Canada ran at these World Juniors. “I think it’s tough sometimes when you start with a long power play early in the game like that,” Greig said. After failing to score with the five-minute man advantage, the Canadians piled on the pressure, shutting down the Czechs with skill and physicality. Suchanek rose to the challenge, picking off an Olen Zellweger blast from the right faceoff circle and shutting out Tyson Foerster in the slot on the rush. The keeper also robbed Johnson on Foerster’s backdoor feed. Risavi praised Sučanek: “I’ve known him for about 14 years. He’s just a great goalkeeper. At his best, he could probably [allow just] three goals in a game from 60 shots. So all respect to him after this game because he helped us a lot.” But just seconds later, Canada opened a scrum in the Czech end. McTavish, coming off a six-point effort in an 11-1 rout of Slovakia, made a save on Jack Thompson’s long shot inside traffic to tie it 1-1 at 16:44. Canadian fans erupted in relief. Suchanek continued to battle, making another stop on Logan Stankoven – the 2022 CHL Player of the Year with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers – at the side of the net. However, Canada took a 2-1 lead at 19:00 on Johnson’s “Michigan” goal – the first of this tournament. It was an exclamation point for a Canadian team that outscored the Czech Republic 23-9 in the first period and never looked back. “I just got a loose puck behind the net and there was no D-man in the right post, so I went for it,” Johnson said. Johnson, a 2022 Olympian and World Championship competitor who actually spent two years at the University of Michigan, is no stranger to “Michigan.” The savvy Columbus Blue Jackets prospect scored twice in 2019-20 as an assistant captain with the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters. In the second period, Suchanek would need more arms and legs to stop the Canadian attack. After stopping Ridley Greig on a clear break, Gabriel Szturc, who had the winner against Slovakia, was sent off for fouling. Five seconds into the power play, Greig drove home on Seeley’s point, making it 3-1 at 4:48. McTavish, the No. 3 overall pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2021 and a 2022 Olympian, put the game out of reach at 11:05 on a breakaway goal set up by Bedard. In the third period, Johnson fed Foerster beautifully to make it 5-1 Canada at 7:39. “I think the forechecking game was really good for us and we were just finding each other in the O-zone,” Johnson said. “It seemed like we really connected on all those passes and were in the right spots to support the puck.” During the post-match handshake, McTavish shared a nice moment with Czech captain Jan Mysak, his former Peterborough Petes team-mate. “We’re great friends,” McTavish explained. “We won an OHL championship together, so there’s always a bond there. He’s a great guy. He loves hockey. He’s passionate about it. We just said, ‘Good luck the rest of the tournament.’” This was Canada’s sixth consecutive World Junior win over the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic’s last win was 5-4 in Malmö, Sweden on December 28, 2013, as David Pastrnak and Dominic Simon scored in the shootout. The Czechs complete their group stage on Sunday against Latvia, who are bottom of Group A with one point.
