The best part about hockey is that the game is only really over when the final buzzer sounds.
For three of the four games at the World Junior quarterfinals, remaining in the hunt for gold came down to a single shot. Elation and heartbreak, upsets and blowouts — Day 7 had it all.
Though just the first contest of the day, Finland and Slovakia had the energy of a nightcap, with both teams scoring with less than two minutes left in the third to force overtime, before captain Jere Lassila sent the Fins to the semifinals with the game-winner. Finland now looks to prepare for their toughest opponent, the United States, to begin the medal round.
Then, in arguably the biggest upset of the tournament, Czechia scored the go-ahead goal with just 11 seconds remaining to send reigning champs Canada home in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019 and Czechia, for the third straight year, will play for a medal.
In the only resounding victory of the day, gold medal-favourite United States dismantled Latvia 7-2, with Gabe Perreault adding two goals and an assist to help send the Americans to the semifinals.
The final game of the quarterfinal round saw Switzerland erase a two-goal deficit to force overtime against Sweden. Though a valiant effort by the Swiss, it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback as the Swedes potted the overtime winner.
The semifinal picture is set and the first taste of the action begins Jan. 4 as Finland and the United States take to the ice. For now, let’s take a look at the top performers from Day 7 of the World Junior Championship:
3rd Star: Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Sweden
Jonathan Lekkerimaki is having one heck of a tournament.
Leading Sweden in scoring with four goals and three assists in five games, the impact Lekkerimaki is having for the yellow and blue can’t just be summed up by checking the scoresheet.
Playing on Sweden’s top line and on the first power play unit, he’s been all over the ice all tournament, generating offence and using his wicked release to get pucks on net.
During Tuesday’s semifinal against Switzerland, Lekkerimaki displayed all that and more.
The 19-year-old Vancouver Canucks prospect had a staggering nine shots on goal — accounting for just over a quarter of all shots on goal for the Swedes and four more shots than Mattias Havelid, with the next highest shot volume — scored Sweden’s second of the game and got the primary assist on the overtime game-winner.
His marker, scored on the power play near the end of the first period, showcased how deceptive his wrister is, beating Swiss goaltender Alessio Beglieri glove side from an almost impossible angle.
Again on the power play, but this one in overtime, Lekkerimaki dished the puck to Axel Sandin Pellikka, who skated it to the half-wall and beat Beglieri blocker side.
Lekkerimaki, drafted 15th overall by the Canucks in 2022, is set to make the journey to North America next season to play for the Abbotsford Canucks, Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, in preparation to make his NHL debut, per general manager Patrik Allvin.
2nd Star: Jere Lassila, Finland
Finland had an uncharacteristically slow start to the tournament, losing their first game to Canada and their second to Germany — the first time Germany had beat Finland in the World Juniors.
Perhaps those two games were the product of nerves, because Finland got back on track quickly, beating Latvia then Sweden to close out the tournament.
Now, low and behold, Finland is on to the semifinals after upsetting Group B second seed Slovakia, and 19-year-old Jere Lassila is to thank for that.
Tied with less than two minutes remaining, Finland thought they had the game in the bag when they scored the go-ahead goal. Not so fast, though, as Montreal Canadiens prospect Filip Mesar scored the tying goal with 44 seconds remaining.
Enter Lassila, who skated through the neutral zone and over the blue line with a burst of speed, deking out Slovak netminder Adam Gajan to tuck in the semifinal-clinching overtime winner, just 24 seconds in.
Captaining this squad, Lassila has been the most productive player for Finland at this tournament, scoring three goals and four assists throughout his five games — though his goal and assist against Slovakia are likely the two points he will remember the most.
Undrafted in the NHL, Lassila plays in Finland’s top league, Liiga, for JYP Jyvaskyla and has one goal and 11 points in 27 games.
1st Star: Jakub Stancl, Czechia
Having lost the gold medal to Canada in overtime at last year’s tournament, this quarterfinal matchup was personal for Czechia, and with that loss still fresh in their minds, they dished out revenge on Canada, sending the oft-gold medal winners home in heartbreaking fashion.
After Jakub Stancl drew first blood halfway through the first with a wrister off the rush, beating goaltender Mathis Rousseau cleanly, Czechia had Canada on its toes through most of the first 20 minutes.
Credit to Canada, they fought back in the second period and, for all intents and purposes, took control of the game.
But, just as he opened the game, 18-year-old Stancl hit the back of the net for just his third goal of the tournament and effectively ended Canada’s hopes of a three-peat.
With the time quickly winding down and overtime right on the horizon, Czechia made one last push to end the game in regulation, with Dominik Rymon dancing over the blue line. Stancl got a feed from Ondrej Becher in the slot and worked his way to just above the left circle, throwing a puck on net and beating Rousseau on a weird bounce with just 11 seconds remaining to seal the game.
Stancl, the 2023 fourth-rounder for the St. Louis Blues, chose just the right time to have his best game of the tournament for Czechia, proving instrumental in their victory with his two goals on three shots.
Currently playing in the SHL, Sweden’s top hockey league, for the Vaxjo Lakers, Stancl has one goal and one assist in six games at the top level this year.
Honourable mentions: Despite the excitement around the last-second goals and overtime winners, it’s important to remember the goalies that kept the game within reach for their teams. Czech goaltender Michael Hrabal faced 30 shots from Canada during their 40-minute offensive onslaught and surrendered just two goals for a .933 save percentage. Canada was generating chance after chance, especially in the final minutes of the third period, but Hrabal was able to come up with the big saves when his team needed them the most.
Though Switzerland lost their quarterfinal match, absolutely nobody can knock their effort, especially that of their goaltender. Beglieri, the 19-year-old undrafted netminder, faced 33 shots from the offensively-gifted Sweden and made 30 stops — an impressive feat for a team that was overmatched on paper and gave Sweden a run for its money on the ice.
