Sunday, December 26, 2010
Switzerland Skates Past Germany 4-3 + BONUS VIDEO
Sweden Steamrolls past Norway, 7-1
Canada Defeats Russia 6-3 - BONUS VIDEO
Buffalo - USA defeats Finland 3-2 in overtime off a goal by Nick Bjugstad in their opening game of the World Junior Championship Sunday night at HSBC Arena in Buffalo.
Defenseman Justin Faulk opened the scoring with just a 1:06 left in the first period with a power play goal from the point. Late in the second period, Joonas Nattinen scored on a back door tap in to tie it up as the USA scrambled in their own zone.
Just 1:18 later, the USA took the lead again when Chris Brown with a well timed hit on the boards, forced a turnover by Finland and gave Jason Zucker the time and space to fire a wrist shot from the circle that beat Joni Ortio. Brown didn't get an assist on the play because he didn't touch the puck, but he made that play happen.
In the third period, US forward Kyle Palmieri created great separation with his speed and had a terrific opportunity to give his team some breathing room, but as Ortio did the splits exposing three-quarters of the net, Palmieri's backhander hit the post.
Minutes later, USA would have another opportunity to get on the board as Jeremy Morin scored with a laser from the top of the circles, but the whistle had blown and the goal was disallowed because Bjugstad was in the crease.
With the Americans leading by just one goal and the Finns generating some sustained offensive pressure, you began to wonder just how important those missed opportunities might be and with 7:01 left in regulation, Erik Haula would go hard to the net, have a second opportunity on the rebound, but it was Iiro Pakarinen who would tap it in to tie the game at two.
The game couldn't be decided in 60 minutes, something the US had become used to as two of their three pre-tournament exhibition games went to a shootout - both of which they lost - but before shooters could be named, Bjudstad fired a wrister that had eyes for the back of the net to give the US the overtime win.
Finland plays Switzerland on Tuesday, December 28th at 12:30pm ET while the US will face Slovakia Tuesday, December 28th at 8pm ET.
-- Julie Robenhymer
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@JulieRobenhymer on twitter for live updates from Buffalo.
Star Spangled Banner after USA's 3-2 OT win v Finland
John Ramage - USA
Nick Bjugstad - USA
Jack Campbell - USA
Jason Zucker - USA
Justin Faulk - USA
Chris Kreider - USA
Jerry D'Amigo - USA
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