Team Canada finally got the confidence builder they were looking for in a 4-1 win over Switzerland in Thursday’s quarter-final game.
The Canadians scored first and carried the play against the pesky Swiss, who tried lulling Canada into making mistakes with their passive approach. It was far from an exciting game, but the positives Team Canada will take from this win should carry over to Saturday’s semifinal.
PATIENCE PAYS OFF
Hockey Canada’s management team had a difficult decision to make at the selection camp: keep Griffin Reinhart, whose suspension from last year carried over to this year, or replace him with another defender. Reinhart was playing in only his second game of this tournament after sitting the first three due to suspension.
His impact can’t be overstated enough. Reinhart is the big, burly shutdown defender whose impact will be paramount to Canada’s success when the games matter. However, because his defensive prowess is so often noted, Reinhart hardly gets the credit he deserves for his offensive ability. His offence was a difference in Canada’s win after he scored the first goal of the game and created the rush that led to Curtis Lazar’s insurance goal in the third.
Reinhart displayed his best at both ends of the ice on Lazar’s goal. Reinhart knocked the Swiss puck carrier to the ice, leading to a turnover, and was already darting up ice when Lazar fed him the breakaway pass. Lazar collected Reinhart’s rebound and scored on the wrap around. The play was symbolic of just how valuable Reinhart is all over the ice.
Although difficult playing without him for the first three games, Hockey Canada made the smart choice by bringing him anyways, since his availability in the medal round is crucial to their success.
THE DROUGHT IS OVER
For the first time since the exhibition game against a team of CIS all-stars during the selection camp in Toronto, Team Canada scored first in a game. As strange as this may sound, it couldn’t have come at a better time given the Swiss’ very passive game. Nearly each time Canada allowed the first goal, the opposing team immediately settled into a trap to maintain their lead as long as possible.
Given the Swiss were already playing an incredibly passive style, one can only imagine how tight the box would have become in front of their net had they opened the scoring. Canada’s inability to score first prior to the quarter-final is a big contributor to the many headaches and close calls in the preliminary round. They finally got a taste of how their game plan evolves when they’re not chasing. What was already dull game would have only compounded with the Swiss scoring first.
NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION
The Swiss style is reminiscent of that deployed by the London Knights in the past two MasterCard Memorial Cups – a passive game predicated on neutral zone turnovers. Team Canada had difficulty breaking through the Swiss defence, given that the system they played predictably forced everything to the outside.
As a result, Team Canada needed to find a way through and used creative ways in each of the first two goals. Scott Laughton drove the net hard on the first goal, creating the goal mouth scramble that led to Reinhart’s opener. During the second period, Laughton opted to flip the puck through the neutral zone and past the first line of defence rather than carrying through. The puck found Derrick Pouliot, who fed it across to Sam Reinhart for a clear break. Although his shot was stopped, it was one of the few quality scoring chances to that point.
A turnover near Canada’s blueline resulted in the breakaway pass to Anthony Mantha, who was chopped down at the last second, drawing a penalty shot which Mantha converted.
The team’s confidence was evident from then on as some Canadian players were more willing to test a Swiss defence with a safe lead.
DISCIPLINE STILL A FACTOR
Team Canada didn’t appear to fear the Swiss offence much, which isn’t a good enough excuse for the amount of penalties taken in the third period. Canada took just two penalties in the first two periods, but took three in the third. All three were undisciplined, needless penalties that will need to be removed from their game.
Pouliot hauled a man down while on the power play; Mathew Dumba gave a Swiss forward a face wash after the play; and Laughton was over-zealous in his attempt to get around a defender for a loose puck. These are the types of calls that could work heavily against a team with a more potent power play, especially given their focus waned in the final frame when games are won and lost.