Canada Blows Finland Away in the Third

Press Release

MISSISSAUGA, ON ? It certainly was not as pretty as Friday night?s win over Sweden ? at least not for the first two periods ? but Canada?s National Junior Team is 2-0 in pre-competition action ahead of the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Cody Hodgson (Markham, ON/Brampton, OHL) scored once and added two assists ? his second straight three-point game ? and Stefan Della Rovere (Maple, ON/Barrie, OHL) scored the game-winner off his chest early in the third period as Canada topped Finland 7-3 in front of more than 5,000 fans at the Hershey Centre on Sunday night.

Tyler Ennis (Edmonton, AB/Medicine Hat, WHL), Brett Sonne (Maple Ridge, BC/Calgary, WHL), John Tavares (Oakville, ON/Oshawa, OHL), Jamie Benn (Victoria, BC/Kelowna, WHL) and Jordan Eberle (Regina, SK/Regina, WHL) also scored for the Canadians, who erased deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 and scored four unanswered goals in the third period en route to the win.

While it was the Canadians who had the early pressure ? three powerplays in the opening 10 minutes ? it was the Finns who hit the scoreboard first, as Nestori Lähde beat Canadian netminder Dustin Tokarski (Watson, SK/Spokane, WHL) on a breakaway just shy of the midway mark of the opening period.

But Hodgson, who had a goal and two assists in the win over Sweden, helped pull the Canadians even before the end of the first, setting up Ennis with a perfect cross-ice feed, and did the deed himself in the second after the Finns had retaken the lead, banging in a loose puck after Zach Boychuk (Airdrie, AB/Lethbridge, WHL) drove the net.

Sonne gave Canada its first lead of the game just 44 seconds after Hodgson?s goal, getting a shot through the legs of Finnish goaltender Juha Metsola, just seconds after hitting the crossbar.

The Finns looks to have the momentum early in the third period, as Jesse Jyrkkiö?s point shot deflected off Canadian blueliner Alex Pietrangelo (King City, ON/Niagara, OHL) and past Tokarski to tie the game up once again, but Della Rovere went to the net for the go-ahead goal just over two minutes later to once again put the Canadians ahead.

Tavares converted a pass from Hodgson with the Canadians enjoying a two-man advantage three minutes after that to begin to widen the gap and Benn and Eberle scored nine seconds apart late in the period to round out the scoring.

Canada outshot the Finns 37-17 overall, including 15-6 in the decisive third period.

The Canadians close out their pre-competition schedule on Tuesday night when they face Slovakia at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, ON. The game can be seen live on TSN beginning at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST.

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