We're into the second half of the hockey season, and the push for the playoffs begin!

Canada kicks off Juniors with a big 8-1 victory

Written by: Jesse Michael on 26th December 2008

PHOTO BY SCOTT VANKOUGHNETT

John Tavares had three points in Canada's opener including this pretty one-timer goal. | read this item

OTTAWA – John Tavares had three points, scoring twice, in Canada’s 8-1 rout of the Czech Republic in the first game for both teams at the World Junior Championship in Ottawa.

Even with the pressure of being the prospective first-overall pick in next year’s NHL draft, Tavares was going to be counted on to lead the team Canada right from game one.

That’s exactly what he did.

Tavares opened the scoring in the first with time winding down in the period. He broke in on the right side one-on-one, pushed the puck through the defender’s legs and wristed a shot over the blocker of the Czech goalie Tomas Vosvrda.

“Johnny’s great with the puck down low, he finds the open players and has a great shot,” said forward Angelo Esposito. Added Head Coach Pat Quinn, “He has special skill, and it’s nice to see it. Hopefully he’s got a couple of more in there that are important ones when we have to have it.”

“Johnny’s great with the puck down low, he finds the open players and has a great shot.”

Tavares continued where he left off in the first period and put Canada up 2-0 early in the second. He took a great cross crease pass from Jordan Eberle again on the powerplay, and banked it off Vosvrda’s glove and into the net.

Tavares completed his three point night minutes later, stealing the puck from the Czech defender breaking out of his own zone. He made a quick pass over to a streaking Esposito, who snapped a bullet into the back of the net for his first goal of the game, and the third for Canada.

“It was a special moment for me and my family who are here watching,” said Esposito. “John made a great pass across and I just had to fire it into the open part of the net.”

Goaltender Dustin Tokarski played a solid game in goal for Canada, stopping 21 of 22 shots including a breakaway early in the first period off the stick of Vladimir Ruzicka to keep the game tied 0-0. The Czechs scored late in the third period to break Tokarski’s shutout bid.

”It kind of sucks,” said Tokarski about letting in the late goal. “I’ve flushed it from my head, it was a good victory by the boys and hopefully we can keep it going.”

Ryan Ellis, Tyler Ennis, Chris DiDomenico, Zach Boychuk, and Alex Pietroangelo rounded out the scoring for the Canadians who play their next game Sunday afternoon at 2:30 pm against Germany, who lost to the Americans earlier in the day 8-2.

Shots were 37-22 in favour of Canada.

Topics: Angelo Esposito, Boychuk, DiDomenico, Dustin Tokarski, Ellis, Ennis, John Tavares, Jordan Eberle, Pat Quinn, Pietroangelo, Team Canada, World Junior Hockey Championships