I railed about the wrong teams qualifying for this tournament in a previous blog--that Switzerland's 89s finished sixth and almost knocked eventual champion Russians out of the 2007 under-18s. Well, most of the players on this Kazakhstan team finished third in the 2007 under-18 B pool, losing games to Belarus and Austria (the Austrians' only win in the tournament).
89 seconds: Canada comes out sluggishly, waiting until the second shift to opening the scoring. Jordan Eberle beats Kazakh netminder Andrei Yankov with the home team's fourth shot.
Fourth minute: Mikail Lazorenko floats a backhander from the neutral zone caught by Canadian goaltender Chet Pickard. The Kazakhs' first shot, a total they would double by the first intermission.
Fifth minute: Lazorenko knocks Tyler (Sky-High) Myers flying along the wall.
Six minutes: Yankov makes a great glove save on Jamie Benn.
8:48: Benn picks up his first on the powerplay.
Thirteen minutes in: PK Subban gets a little loose, coughs up the puck and give the K's their first (marginal) scoring chance. As it turns out, it will be their only one through 20 minutes. The poor kid was lucky to hit the glass with the shot.
15 minutes in: Tavares draw a K defenceman into a penalty. It looks like the K's have to struggle just to hit him with a stick.
5 seconds later: A delay of game to the K's. Q: Could there be anything more inevitable than a Canadian 5-on-3 vs the K's.
12 seconds later: A. No. Benn with his second, a wizardly pass from JT through traffic. I'm still convinced that this will be a two-man connection that will play out in the tournament.
17:26: PK Subban fires it in from the slot. Shot No. 22 for Canada.
First intermission: Yankov averages a save a minute. Could easily have been 6-0 or 7-0. He staggers off the ice. A crash test dummy has it easier.
Good news that doesn't show up on scoresheet: Stefan Della Rovere, checker/firestarter for Canada, takes a regular shift. SDR had limped off with what looked like a serious foot/ankle injury after blocking a shot vs the Czechs in tournament opener.
Period Two
96 seconds: 5-0, Cody Hodgson cashing in rebound of Subban shot. It's at this point that I feel less like a sports scribe and more like a coroner.
Five minutes in: 6-0. Di Domenico. No further details necessary.
4:41: Benn gets his hat trick, a one-timer from Brett Sonne. 7-0. Mentioning Sonne here and just breaking up the laundry list here, I spoke with a scout about Sonne this morning. His read: "This is a guy who willed himself into being a player. Not the greatest skater but incredible desire. His older brother was an OA in the Dub, a little guy but an amazing fighter, took on all the league heavyweights." Maybe Sonne's will is connected to having a ferocious older sibling.
4:51. Chet Pickard's third shot of the game. The crowd gives a mock cheer. Some think it's an easy spot but exactly how do you stand out in a game like this? How can this be used to figure out who gets the starts down the line when the games start to count? Pickard's in a no-win. Some might think it's easy to stand in his skates with a 7-0 lead but what ribbing would he endure if he actually gave up a goal to these guys?
Twelves minutes in: Alone in the slot, Benn has a perfect chance for his fourth goal of the game but instead dishes it to Tyler Ennis who fills a yawning cage. 8-0. A powerplay that nets results in the first ten seconds. Doesn't get more economical than that.
14:52 Canada runs the clock, taking 38 seconds to score on its next powerplay. JT collects Hodgson garbage, cashes rebound from three feet. 9-0.
Small changes in line rotation. Coach Quinn plays Evander Kane with Sone at centre and Benn on wing. Ennis goes with Della Rovere and Patrice Cormier.
Shots at end of two: Canada 44 K's 10. Yankov is yanked for the third period and he probably thinks not too soon.
Period Three
Now in goal Maxim Gryaznov.
Welcome to the Terrordome.
Couple of shifts in: 10-0. Kane. No details necessary.
Three minutes in: Angelo Esposito takes an interference call. Quinn goes with Patrice Cormier (expected) and Evander Kane (not)
Six minutes in: JT on a powerplay misses wide open net from the right wing. Ottawa fans have flashback -- No. 19 at Scotiabank Place -- and are prepared to boo. They quickly realize that the Senators are out west.
Nine minutes in: Give Gryaznov credit, stops 13 of first 14 shots.
10 minutes in: Crowd politely applauds Pickard. He blocks a shot -- okay a very fast putt -- from the blueline. Kazakhstan's first shot of the period.
11:29: JT's second of the game. 11-0. Muted celebration by Canadians.
Next shift: OMG Canada has two-man breakaway. Hodgson finishes off pass from an unselfish Zach Boychuk. 12-0. Canada passes the 60-shot mark.
Around six minutes to go: Can it get any worse? Kazakh forward Alexander Kaznacheyev takes two-and-five-and-a-match. K's will be now short-handed for the rest of regulation.
Next shift: PK Subban 13-0. No detail necessary.
Less than four minutes to go: 14-0. Della Rovere.
Last gasps: Quinn shuffling lines, probably doing whatever he can to keep this remotely fresh.
43 seconds to go: Canada with 5-on-3. Tyler Myers 15-0.
Final shots: Canada 69 K's 11.
And until it changes the rules about qualifying teams ... IIHF 0.
