Team Canada?s only goal is a return to gold

Daniel Girard Sports Reporter

The starting goalie is seeking redemption.

The defence is big and untested at this level.

The forwards are a mix of high-end skill and two-way players.

Canada?s entry in the world junior hockey championship, a 10-team, 31-game holiday tradition opening Boxing Day, is expected to be in the tournament?s gold-medal game in Calgary on Jan. 5.

But after winning back-to-back silver medals following five straight golds, Canada, the host country and tournament favourite, will face a stern test from the defending champion Russians and 2010 titleist Americans.

The teams are split into two groups of five. The winner of each of those groups after round-robin play advances directly into the semifinals. The second- and third-place teams move on to the quarter-finals.

Group A features Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia and Latvia.

Group B has been dubbed the ?group of death? because one of Canada, the United States, Finland and the Czech Republic will not advance to the playoffs from a pool that also includes Denmark.

The Canadians, who have won 15 gold medals, eight silver and four bronze over the years, are looking for a little d?j? vu. The last time the tournament was held in Alberta, Don Hay was the head coach and the team went a perfect 7-0 on the way to winning it all. But to have a repeat of that 1995 performance, a number of things will need to happen for the hosts.

In goal, Mark Visentin, who gave up five unanswered goals in the third period of last year?s stunning gold-medal collapse versus Russia, must be better than he was the for last 20 minutes that night ? and so far this season.

Defensively, the Canadians are big and mobile. Ryan Murray of the WHL?s Everett Silvertips, widely projected to be a first-round pick in next June?s NHL entry draft, is the little guy at 6 feet, 201 pounds. But none of them have been here before, so one of the keys will be how they handle the pressure of playing in front of a demanding home crowd.

The last-minute arrival of NHL forwards Brett Connolly, who is returning to the tournament, and Devante Smith-Pelly, who promises to be a physical force with a scoring touch, is a huge bonus for the Canadians. Those two will be a nice complement to the likes of high-end skill guys such as Mark Scheifele, Ryan Strome, captain Jaden Schwartz, Michael Bournival and Jonathan Huberdeau, whose recovery from a foot injury still raises concerns.

Overall, the mix of skill and toughness at both ends of the ice makes the Canadians a favourite to win their first gold in three tries, especially factoring in the loud, Maple-Leaf-clad crowds behind them each night.

?That?s part of the expectations of being a Canadian team playing in Canada,? Hay said of the demand for gold from fans. ?You can?t hide.

?You?ve got to embrace that and take that pressure and show people that you deserve that. It?ll make us stronger in the end.?

Source: http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/1106882--team-canada-s-only-goal-is-a-return-to-gold

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