A record-smashing world junior hockey tournament for North Vancouver's Connor Bedard ended with MVP honours and a second straight gold medal as Canada scored a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory against the Czech Republic Thursday in Halifax.
The Canadians opened the tournament with a 5-2 loss against that same Czech team on Boxing Day, but they wouldn't be beaten again, ripping off six straight wins to claim gold.
Dylan Guenther was the hero in the final, picking up two goals and an assist, including the game-winner in overtime. Guenther and Shane Wright led the way early as Canada battled to a 2-0 lead. Coquitlam's Thomas Milic was strong in net once again, following his .
But the Czechs stunned the home crowd in the third period, scoring two goals less than a minute apart to tie the game, sending it to overtime. That set up Guenther to claim the victory, slotting home the winner on a cross-ice pass from Joshua Roy.
Bedard has been making headlines throughout the tournament, starting with a seven-point game against Germany, . He followed that up with a six-point performance against Austria, then added four assists in a New Year's Eve win over Sweden
His heroics hit new heights in the playoff round, with Bedard picking up two goals and an assist in a 4-3 overtime win against Slovakia. Bedard's big night included an instant classic game-winning goal in overtime, with the 17-year-old dancing past two defenders before deking past Slovakia goalie Adam Gajan and sliding the puck into the net to send Canada to the semifinals. That night also saw Bedard set .
Bedard was named the tournament's top forward, a tournament all-star and the tournament's MVP following the final. He ended with nine goals, 13 assists and 23 points for the tournament, setting new Canadian records for points and assists in a single world juniors. He finished nine points ahead of Logan Cooley of the U.S., who was second in the tournament with 14 points.
Could it have been anyone else?
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada)
9鈨� goals
1鈨�4鈨� assists (new 馃嚚馃嚘 record)
2鈨�3鈨� points (new 馃嚚馃嚘 record)
Connor Bedard is your MVP (+ Top Forward and Media All-Star 猸愶笍).
Bedard, however, wasn't interested in his personal accolades.
“I don’t want to talk about myself right now," he said in a TSN on-ice interview moments after the final goal. "We’re not talking about me. We just won the biggest tournament in the world. And man I love this group; I love this country.”
Others around the country were more free with their praise though. Bedard's performance heading into the final was so impressive that it spawned a .
Bedard stepped into the early entry in the WHL, and he has since surpassed all the expectations put on him by that label. He will now return to the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League. He is eligible for the NHL entry draft this summer, and is the heavy favourite to be picked first overall.
