THE CANADIAN PRESS

PARDUBICE, Czech Republic -- Craig Hartsburg still believes in Steve Mason and the Canadian junior hockey team's goaltender wants to justify that faith in him.

Hartsburg is sticking with the London Knights goalie as his starter for Friday's semifinal against the U.S. at the world junior hockey championship (2 p.m. ET).

Mason's performance in Wednesday's 4-2 quarter-final win over Finland didn't inspire confidence.

"We said he'd be our guy," Hartsburg said Thursday following Canada's practice. "We have full confidence in him. We have to trust him.

"He didn't play his best last night, but he won the hockey game and he'll play better tomorrow."

The two goals Finland scored on Mason were suspect. He stopped 21 of 23 shots for the win.

"I was kind of down after yesterday's game, but last night our goaltender coach Corey Hirsch talked to me and then the coaches pulled me into their room before practice and gave me another vote of confidence," Mason said.

"When the coaches go right back to you after a sub-par game and into the biggest game of the tournament thus far, it's definitely nice and kind of boosts your morale.

"This is going to be the biggest game of my life and I'm looking forward to playing."

Mason was fooled by a fluttery high wrist shot from just inside the blue-line by Juuso Puutinen in the first period Wednesday, although Mason said it spun off a Canadian defender en route.

Jan-Mikael Juutilanen scored Finland's second goal to tie it 2-2 with a shot from behind the goal-line that went off the side of Mason as he was turning in his crease.

Hartsburg acknowledged the first goal was a soft one, but didn't blame Mason for the second.

The boards behind the nets at Pardubice Arena are lively. Hard shots that miss the net and come flying back out are quickly corralled by attacking players.

Sweden scored a similar goal on Jonathan Bernier on Saturday, when the Swedes erased a two goal deficit to win 4-3.

Bernier made a Canadian-record 44 saves in Canada's 3-0 over the Czechs to open the tournament.

Mason made 22 stops in a 2-0 win over Slovakia the next day and stopped 15 of 16 shots in a 4-1 victory over Denmark.

While it fell apart for Bernier in the third period against Sweden, he was not helped by a panicky Canadian team in front of him.

The Lewiston Maineiacs goalie has not played since Saturday's game and was not happy with the decision made by Canada's coaching staff Thursday.

"It's hard," Bernier said. "I have a lot of respect for those guys, but at the same time I guess they weren't fair with me.

"He (Mason) had an OK game yesterday and it was the same thing for me and I didn't get a second chance and he did. That's hard to take."

.Bernier, a Los Angeles Kings draft pick, has more international and big-game experience than Mason because he's played for Canada's under-18 team and also in last year's Memorial Cup.

Mason, property of the Columbus Blue Jackets, fills the net more at six foot three and 182 pounds and his excellent puckhandling skills are helpful to Canada's defence.

He's demonstrated the ability to pull it together after giving up a soft goal. In Game 1 of Canada's Super Series against Russia in August, he gave up a bad one in the first period, but then made 40 saves the rest of the way in a Canadian victory.

Hartsburg announced before the quarter-final that Mason would be his starter the rest of the way and has held firm.

"At this point of the tournament, we don't think it's time to be flip-flopping back and forth," Hartsburg said. "We think this is the best thing to do, to stick with the one guy."