Canada Squeaks Past Germany for frist Win at World Juniors
canada secured its first victory at the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship, defeating Germany 3-0 on Sunday. The win came after a shocking loss to Latvia just two days prior. While the final scoreline suggests a comfortable victory, Canada’s performance was far from dominant. Head Coach Dave Cameron admitted his team was “snake-bitten” offensively, struggling to convert despite generating numerous scoring chances. “We’re getting chances. That’s all you can do … it’ll break,” Cameron stated, expressing confidence that the goals will eventually come. Carter George continued his strong play in net, recording his second consecutive shutout. “I just want to go out there and do my part to get this team a win,” George said. “We all pitch into the system.” Germany’s Nico Pertuch faced a barrage of shots, making 33 saves in a losing effort. The Canadians struggled to find the back of the net at even strength, going over 120 minutes without a 5-on-5 goal against Latvia and Germany combined. Despite the offensive struggles, defensemen Tanner Molendyk and Sam Dickinson felt the team handled the pressure well. “It gets a little tense there when it was 1-0 with five minutes left,” Molendyk said, “But I thought we handled it well.” Dickinson added, “A little tighter than maybe we would have expected.” The victory sets up a highly anticipated New Year’s Eve matchup against the United States, with first place in the group on the line. The Americans fell to Finland in overtime earlier Sunday. Canada had been stunned by Latvia in a shootout on Friday, marking one of the program’s most embarrassing defeats. While crediting Latvia for their strong performance, Cameron acknowledged his team’s disjointed play and inability to control the middle of the ice. Cameron made lineup changes for the Germany game, inserting Vancouver Canucks prospect Sawyer Mynio for the injured Matthew Schaefer and replacing forward Porter Martone with Carson Rehkopf. Oliver Bonk opened the scoring for Canada on the power play, finding the back of the net from his usual spot in the slot. “Great feeling,” Bonk said. “Fans have been awesome.”Canada secured a hard-fought victory over Germany on December 29, 2024, keeping their hopes alive for a 21st gold medal at the world junior hockey championships. Despite a somewhat underwhelming performance, Canada emerged victorious with a 2-0 win, thanks in large part to the stellar play of goaltender Thomas Milic.
“He’s been amazing,” teammate Ethan Catton said of Milic. “He held us in that game when we weren’t playing great. He’s been the heart and soul of our team.”
While Canada’s offense struggled to find its rhythm, Milic stood tall, making crucial saves throughout the contest, including a standout stop on Tanner Howe in the second period and another against Calum Ritchie on a power play. Head coach Dennis Williams acknowledged that Canada’s success wouldn’t solely rely on offensive prowess.
“You need different clubs in your bag to win this tournament,” Williams stated. “Right now our defense and our goaltending are leading the pack.Thay’re the clubs we’re using the most. The offense in this group’s going to get going.”
Canada finally broke through in the third period, with Catton hitting the post early on. The team, boasting 11 first-round NHL draft picks, began to assert its dominance. Molendyk also clanged a shot off the post against Germany, who are set to face Latvia in a crucial matchup on Monday at the bottom of Group A standings.
“It was a lot better,” Logan Bonk said of Canada’s overall effort, even though they didn’t score as many goals as they desired. “It happens, but the goals will come.”
With just under five minutes remaining in regulation, Connor Bedard‘s shot deflected off the end boards and in for Canada’s first 5-on-5 goal. Cataford iced the game with an empty-netter, securing the victory for Canada.
“Win a hockey game,” Catton said, emphasizing the importance of the result. “That’s all that really matters — 1-0, 3-0, 10-0 — it’s all the same. We need the wins and we got it.”
Canada now looks ahead to a highly anticipated matchup against their biggest rival.
## Archyde exclusive: Interview with Team Canada’s Tanner Molendyk
**Archyde:** Tanner, congratulations on yoru first win of the tournament against Germany. It wasn’t the most dominant performance offensively,but a win is a win. Can you walk us through what the atmosphere was like on the bench?
**Tanner Molendyk:** It definitely got a bit tense there towards the end, especially when it was 1-0 with five minutes left. But I thought we handled the pressure well. We stuck to the game plan and kept believing in ourselves.
**Archyde:** Coach Cameron mentioned the team felt “snake-bitten” offensively. What was it like trying to break through against a tough German defense?
**Tanner Molendyk:** They played very defensively, blocked a lot of shots, and their goalie was playing well. We generated chances, but we just couldn’t seem to buy a goal at even strength for a while.It was frustrating, but it’s a testament to our team’s resilience that Carter stood strong and got us the shutout.
**Archyde:** Speaking of Carter, he seems to be in top form. Two shutouts in a row is incredible.
**Tanner Molendyk:** He’s been amazing. He gives us a lot of confidence knowing that he’s back there making the big saves. And you can see from his attitude, he’s just looking to do his part and contribute to the team win.
**Archyde:** you have a massive matchup against the US tomorrow.How are you feeling heading into that New Year’s eve showdown?
**Tanner Molendyk:** It’s a big game, no doubt. They’re a strong team, but so are we. We’ve got to build on the momentum from our win against Germany and focus on playing our game. It’s going to be a great atmosphere, and we’re expecting a real battle.
**Archyde:** Thanks for your time, Tanner. Best of luck against the US!
