UNITED STATES 4
CANADA 2
Canadian teammates rallied around Joe Hicketts of the Victoria Royals on Saturday after his own-goal type miscue accounted for the winner as sa国际传媒 opened the 2016 world junior hockey championships in Finland with a 4-2 loss against arch-rival the United States.
More importantly, Hicketts rallied around himself.
鈥淚t sucks right now,鈥� the Royals captain said. 鈥淏ut we can鈥檛 let this drag on our minds the rest of the tournament.鈥�
It was sa国际传媒鈥檚 first loss in a tournament-opening game at the world juniors since 1998, also in Helsinki.
With the score tied 2-2 at 16:42 of the third period, Hicketts tried to bat a shot from the point by Louie Belpedio of the U.S., but the puck deflected off the Royals defenceman鈥檚 stick and into the Canadian net.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a fast game and you want to block shots,鈥� Hicketts said.
鈥淭hen, at the last second, you realize there is no point to try and block it, and you try to take your stick away, and it hits you still.鈥�
The Royals鈥� rearguard was reflective in defeat.
鈥淲e鈥檙e disappointed in the loss,鈥� Hicketts said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檒l find it within ourselves to build off it. It鈥檚 going to be a new day tomorrow, moving on in the tournament.鈥�
Mason McDonald was the Canadian goaltender victimized on the winning goal, but he didn鈥檛 hold it against Hicketts.
鈥淛oe played awesome in front of me,鈥� McDonald said.
鈥淗e was the best [Canadian] defenceman. You can鈥檛 fault him for that goal. It鈥檚 a team game, and you can鈥檛 blame it on him.鈥�
Hicketts is one of only four returning players on the Canadian roster from the defending gold-medallist 2015 Canadian side, along with Brayden Point of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Lawson Crouse of the Kingston Frontenacs and Jake Virtanen, an NHL rookie with the Vancouver Canucks. Point is the Canadian captain and Hicketts and Crouse the assistant captains.
The leadership group supported not only the first-year players, but also each other.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the way hockey is played . . . sometimes it鈥檚 the bounces,鈥� Point said. 鈥淲e have a lot of tournament ahead.鈥�
鈥淲e said nothing to [Hicketts],鈥� added Canadian centre Mitchell Marner, taken fourth overall in the 2015 NHL draft by the Maple Leafs.
鈥淚t was not [his] fault at all.鈥�
Hicketts found a lesson in the unfortunate turn of events.
鈥淭hat comes with [the U.S.] throwing pucks at the net,鈥� he said of the play. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something we need to do a better job of. If we can get more pucks at the net, we鈥檒l do better.鈥�
sa国际传媒 will get that chance when it resumes pool play against Denmark on Monday (10 a.m. PT on TSN).
鈥淭hey [the U.S.] took pucks to the net better than we did and we should learn from that,鈥� said Royals head coach Dave Lowry, who is reprising that role at the world juniors with sa国际传媒.
鈥淲hen pucks are directed at the net, good things happen. It鈥檚 a game of bounces. And the bounces didn鈥檛 go our way.鈥�
The Americans, led by projected No. 1 overall 2016 NHL draft pick Auston Matthews, showed why they are among the tournament favourites.
Matthews put the game away with the insurance goal at 17:23 of the third period.
Coquitlam鈥檚 Mathew Barzal of the WHL鈥檚 Seattle Thunderbirds and Dylan Strome of the OHL鈥檚 Erie Otters scored the Canadian goals.
Colin White and Zach Werenski got the other U.S. goals.
Both power plays were effective, each going 1-2.
