Finland outlasts Canada

Press Release

MINSK, Belarus – John McFarland (Richmond Hill, Ont./Sudbury, OHL) scored a hat trick to pace the Canadian offence, but it wasn’t enough as Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team fell 5-4 to Finland in exhibition action on Friday night at the Minsk Ice Palace.

The game was Canada’s lone pre-tournament contest before opening the 2010 IIHF World Under-18 Championship next Tuesday (8 a.m. ET/5 a.m. PT) against Switzerland in Bobruisk, located 138 km from Minsk. Canada is looking to improve on its fourth-place finish from the 2009 U18 Worlds in the U.S.

The Finns jumped out to a quick start, striking just 46 seconds after the opening face-off for an early 1-0 lead. But McFarland, one of three returning Canadians from the 2008 world championship, got Canada back on even terms less than five minutes later, scoring shorthanded.

The second period was a parade to the penalty box, as the two teams combined for 24 minutes in penalties in the middle frame. The Finns used an early power play to regain a one-goal lead thanks to Petteri Halinen, and pushed it to 3-1 when Teemu Pulkkinen beat Calvin Pickard (Winnipeg, Man./Seattle, WHL) at the five-minute mark.

McFarland notched his second of the game with two minutes left in the second period, but the Finns restored their two-goal lead before the buzzer sounded on Halinen’s second goal of the period.

Outshot 24-22 through two periods, the Canadians fell into a three-goal hole early in the third period when Mikael Salmivirta beat Kent Simpson (Edmonton, Alta./Everett, WHL) – who had replaced Pickard midway through the second period – to make it 5-2.

But the Canadians fought back, getting goals from Ryan Spooner (Kanata, Ont./Peterborough, OHL), at 10:47, and McFarland, who wrapped up his hat trick at 14:42 to make it a one-goal game at 5-4. Despite outshooting the Finns 15-10 in the final 20 minutes Canada could not get the tying goal past Finnish goaltender Jonathan Iilhati, falling short in its comeback attempt.

Ryan Murray (White City, Sask./Everett, WHL) added two assists for Canada, which outshot Finland 37-34 overall.

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)