NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
*************************
EDMONTON - Canada is golden for the 19th time at the World Juniors, and nine OHL players as well as head coach Dave Cameron (Ottawa 67's) played a part in that success.
Tournament MVP Mason McTavish (Hamilton Bulldogs) kept Canada's gold medal hopes alive with an overtime game-saver on the goal line, setting the stage for Kent Johnson to close out a 3-2 win before a crowd of 13,327 at Rogers Place.
Joshua Roy (Sherbrooke Phoenix) and William Dufour (Saint John Sea Dogs) had Canada leading 2-0 in the opening minute of the second period, but Canada would fail to capitalize on five consecutive second period power plays as Finland knotted the score at two on third period markers by Aleksi Heimosalmi and Joakim Kemell. Johnson's winner came 3:20 into overtime.
McTavish, who picked up assists on both of Canada's regulation goals, was named Most Valuable Player and Top Forward after leading the tournament in goals (eight) and points (17). He also finished tied for the lead in assists (nine), and was named to the media all-star team alongside defenceman Olen Zellweger (Everett Silvertips).
“My stick was in the right place at the right time to knock that puck away from our net [in overtime]. Looking back, I am not sure why I was behind [Garand], but I am happy it worked out. Next thing I knew I was on the bench and Kent [Johnson] was on a breakaway,” McTavish said. “It has been a long journey to get to this moment, and it is so special to win it with this group of guys who put in so much hard work since last summer. I am incredibly proud to be Canadian.”
“This group made a huge commitment to be here, and we overcame some adversity with players not returning and dealing with injuries. These guys stuck with it, we knew it was going to be tough and I have a lot of admiration for all our players and staff,” said head coach Dave Cameron (Ottawa 67's). “This gold medal feels really special. The atmosphere tonight was unbelievable, and I am so grateful to the fans that supported us. I feel like we were able to reward them with tonight’s win.”
Canada finished the preliminary round atop Group A with a perfect 4-0 record after wins over Latvia (5-2), Slovakia (11-1), Czechia (5-1) and Finland (6-3). It booked a spot in the gold medal game with a 6-3 win against Switzerland in the quarterfinals and a 5-2 win over Czechia in the semifinals.
Since 1977, Canada has collected 19 gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship, to go along with 10 silver and five bronze.
CANADIAN WORLD JUNIOR GOLD MEDALISTS FROM THE OHL:
Brett Brochu (G) – London Knights
Will Cuylle (LW) – Windsor Spitfires
Ethan Del Mastro (D) – Mississauga Steelheads
Tyson Foerster (RW) – Barrie Colts
Mason McTavish (C) – Hamilton Bulldogs
Ryan O’Rourke (D) – Soo Greyhounds
Brennan Othmann (LW) – Flint Firebirds
Donovan Sebrango (D) – Kitchener Rangers
Jack Thompson (D) – Soo Greyhounds
James Boyd (Prog. of Excellence Mgmt. Group) - Ottawa 67's
Dave Cameron (Head Coach) - Ottawa 67's
Chris Hamilton (Equipment Manager) - Ottawa 67's
Bob Martin (Security Liaison) - London Knights
For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Junior Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About the Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is a proud member of the Canadian Hockey League which is the world’s largest development hockey league with 60 teams in nine Canadian provinces and four American states. In addition to the OHL, the CHL is made up of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. The CHL supplies more players to the National Hockey League and U SPORTS than any other league.
*************************
