VSN Presents: "Cana-Duh!", a Post S84 World Junior Championship Rambling

[leandrofg 1,018]

 

The WJC has come and gone. Seems like only a week ago, we were speculating on what this tournament could look like.

 

Well... I guess we did, but we weren't very good at it, in hindsight.

 

But just because we weren't good at predicting the outcomes doesn't mean our teams weren't good. These teams were great, so before we start, on behalf of the VSN crew, I'd like to congratulate every intervenient in this tournament.

 

From our General Managers to our commissioners. A quick nod to @jacobcarson877, @Nykonax, @TMGSosa, @Novanod, @Trunkxolotl, @Ricer13, and @Enorama. Well, also @Dil for some reason. 

 

To the players... not so much. I mean... can't you just make up your mind?

 

Our predictions didn't pan out because this edition of the World Junior Championship finished as one of the tightest ever.

 

1. Team USA, 14 Points.

2. Team World, 13 Points.

3. Team Canada, 12 Points.

4. Team Europe, 11 Points.

5. Team Asia, 10 Points.

 

How could this have happened? With a little cycle, I will show you.

 

It's game 1 of the S84 edition of the WJC. Team USA faces Team World to win a game that ends with a 2-0 result. 

 

It's game 2, and Team Europe is facing Team Canada. The game is a thriller and ends with a 4-2 victory for Team Europe.

 

We're now in game 4. Team Canada meets Team USA. Both teams have one game in the bag that finished in different ways. It's a gritty game that ends with a 3-1 Team Canada victory.

 

It's game 5 and Team Europe seems to be on a roll. After the win in game 2, Europe faced Asia in game 3 and won. They're now 2-0 and in 1st place on the standings. That night, they played against Team Asia yet again. This time, Team Asia dug deep and pulled out an unbelievable victory. 4-2 was the result.

 

We jump to game 9, where Team World is facing Team Asia. Team Asia has a 1-2 record, while Team World is 0-2. If Team World goes down to 0-3, it would be difficult to leave the bottom of the standings going forward, so they don't. It's a battle of defenses, but Team World edges out Team Asia to win 2-1.

 

At this point, we're not even halfway through the tournament, and every team has beaten once. This is wonderful because this allows us to have a beautiful graphic to accompany this paragraph.

 

Okay. You got me. There's no graphic, but you get the picture! (Get it!? )

 

Anyway, it's time to leave the Round Robin stage, right!? Everything continued tight, teams beating each other, and Team Europe couldn't find their groove. So this round finished with the standings shown above.

 

We want the medal games! That's where the importance of this tournament is.

 

The first game is the wildcard between the 4th and 5th placed teams. In fact, I wouldn't necessarily call this a game since it was more of a beating.

 

Team Europe came, Team Europe saw, and Team Europe got to the semifinals. Behind a great game by the usual suspects, Noodles Marconi, Faith Hope Love, and Svatopluk Puk, they dominated the opposition, who came out with little to offer.

 

And so, they went to the next round, where they found a much more competitive opponent, Team USA. This was a tight game, but early in the 2nd period, Team Europe managed to go up 2-0, and everyone thought the story was being written in real-time. We were wrong. Team USA showed heart, passion, and will. And behind the efforts of Chip Stone, Justin Adolfsen, and Dogwood Maple, they managed to tie with less than 2 minutes remaining. The momentum was with Team USA now, and it showed. Out-shooting Team Europe in OT, Team USA scored, got the win and the ticket to the final.

 

In the other semifinal, the story was similar to the wildcard game, but the protagonist was Team Canada. Total domination of the game, a great teamwork display, and Cobalt Burns doing his best to get noticed. A beautiful 3-1 victory and a place in the final for Team Canada.

 

Before writing about the Gold Medal game, let's first mention the Bronze dispute. Team Europe versus Team World. It was closer than expected. Team World had arrived hungry for the win, but the Europeans wouldn't let that slide. After a hard-fought game that finished with a tie, John Jameson, now the 1st-overall pick of the VHLE Draft, ended the game with a little over a minute played in Overtime.

 

The Final. Everything we came to see. It's a North American battle. More than the title itself, pride is on the line. Team Canada against Team USA.

 

Team USA started the game better, putting Team Canada under pressure and playing at a high-intensity level. That resulted in Chip Stone opening up the scoreboard with a slap shot after a face-off. Unfortunately for the Americans, their own goal was the turning point of the game for their opponent. The Canadians woke up and slowly started rising their level and matching USA's intensity. After the first intermission, we saw some great hockey being played, and Team Canada took advantage of a powerplay near the end of the period. The extraordinaire Busser, managing to break the USA's lines after a Doug Matchett pass. That 2nd period was all Canada, so the goal was a fair reflection of the game. After the second intermission, both teams seemed somewhat tired, and the intensity wasn't as high. Team Canada scored early and followed up with a second goal, putting the score at a 3-1 that Team USA couldn't contest.

 

Ultimately, any of these two teams would be a worthy winner of this season's WJC, but only one can win. Team Canada showed heart and effectiveness in their game, which allowed them to succeed.

 

Now your MVP. I'm guessing the flashy Tyler Busser comes to mind. Or the versatile Doug Matchett. But there's a guy who was a step ahead. Goaltender, DJ Fire Dragon. They played incredibly... there aren't enough adjectives. Take a look at these ridiculous Medal Round stats. 1.00 GAA (Goals Against Average), 0.964 SV% (Save Percentage), and two #2 stars.

 

Users (Players) mentioned in this article

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@Eynhallow, @Otaznik, @dogwoodmaple, @DoktorFunk, @Ledge, @lil z, @Frank, @jacobaa19, @Firekiss, @MMFLEX, @NJDevils24.