2012 WJC Journal – Day Seven

Day Seven of the 2012 World Junior Championship brought us another overtime thriller, this time in the quarter-final match between Russia and the Czech Republic. The game itself amounted to a goaltending duel between Russia’s Andrei Vasilevski and the Czech goaltender, Petr Mrazek. The two goaltenders traded saves, a few of them spectacular, leaving the game tied at 1 at the end of regulation. But in overtime, Russia was able to get one past Mrazek, a blast from the slot by defenseman Grigori Zheldakov, to earn the 2-1 victory and the chance to face Canada in the semi-finals. You can get a more detailed description of the game at this link…

Russia beats Czech Republic in OT – NHL.com

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CBC.caRussia beats Czech Republic in OTNHL.com"Mrazek was good for the whole tournament … it would’ve been nice to win the game, not just for him but the whole country but it just didn’t happen," Czech defenseman David Musil said. "We did something t …

You can view Zheldakov’s winning goal below…

Grigori Zheldakov scored of overtime Russia – Czech Republic U20 Hockey

Grigori Zheldakov scored at of overtime Russia – Czech Republic World Junior Hockey Championship 2012

Canadian fans are tweeting about the semi-final rematch, somehow dragging Justin Bieber into the mix… In the other quarter-final match-up of the day, Finland ended Slovakia‘s dreams of a cinderella run through the playoof round with an 8-5 win over the Slovaks. The Brothers Granlund along with linemate Teemu Pulkkinen contributed greatly to the win, with that line combining for nine points on the day. Finland opened up a 6-3 lead after two periods, a lead that the hard-working Slovaks were not able to overcome. The win sends Finland into the semi-finals against long-time rival Sweden. For a closer look at Finland’s win, you can go to this link…

Persistent Slovaks finally bounced from tournament – Calgary Herald

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Persistent Slovaks finally bounced from tournamentCalgary HeraldBy George Johnson, Calgary Herald January 3, 2012 Downcast Slovak players sit on the bench during the closing minutes of their game against Finland at the world junior championship in Ca …

The other game of Day Seven was a relegation game between Switzerland and Denmark. The Swiss managed to avoid a loss, but only by a hair as they downed the Danes in overtime, 4-3.

Swiss stay in top division – IIHF

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IIHFSwiss stay in top divisionIIHFSwitzerland’s Alessio Bertaggia celebrates after scoring the 2-1 lead against Denmark. Photo: JC Pinheiro / HHOF-IIHF Images CALGARY – Switzerland edged Denmark 4-3 in overtime in an entertaining game to avoid relega …

Two great match-ups on Day Eight with the aforementioned Canada-Russia game, as well as Sweden-Finland. Enjoy!