Filed under: Russian Hockey, Team Canada, International Hockey, Junior Hockey
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Call it the big collapse or le grand choke, Canada being a bilingual country and all.
Leading by three goals going into the third period, Canada's National Junior team lost its sense of desperation and sense of direction while the Russians found theirs and stormed back for a shocking 5-3 win in the gold medal game of the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championship on Wednesday.
It was an improbable triumph for the Russians. They started the tournament with two straight losses and were another defeat away from heading to the relegation round when they turned things around.
It marked the third straight game in which the Russians rallied to win, and that resolve was something that had been missing in previous tournaments. Last year, the team captain was stripped of his "C" in the middle of the competition, and dissension in the ranks resulted in a sixth-place finish.
That's now history, and the Russian teenagers are best in class.
"Russia, Russia, world champions,'' sang Yevgeni Kuznetsov and Vladimir Tarasekno as they wrapped the Russian flag over their shoulders and embraced outside their dressing room.
Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2011/01/05/canada-collapses-as-russia-roars-to-world-juniors-title/
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