EXHIBITION GAMES CONCLUDE FOR CANADA AS WJC IS SET TO BEGIN

CHRUDIM, Czech Republic – Team Canada scored a power-play goal, shorthanded goal and two even-strength goals to beat Finland 4-2 in exhibition action in preparation of the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship on Sunday.

Shawn Matthias (Mississauga, ON/Belleville, OHL) led the way with two goals as Canada improved to 3-0 in exhibition play in front of a crowd of 2,500. Canada will now prepare for the start of the tournament on Boxing Day, when the three-time defending champion takes on the Czech Republic.

Finland outshot Canada 33-21 in the game, but Steve Mason (Oakville, ON/London, OHL) was solid in net for the win.
Canada’s special teams took control of the game in the first period. Drew Doughty (London, ON/Guelph, OHL) scored a power-play goal at 5:01 when his slap shot from the point beat Finland netminder Riku Heleniu. Then, at 12:10, Matthias scored a shorthanded goal when he one-timed in a pass from Matthew Halischuk (Mississauga, ON/Kitchener, OHL). Canada, despite being outshot by Finland 8-7, led 2-0 after 20 minutes.

Finland came on in the second period and ended up with a 13-6 advantage in shots on goal in the middle frame. But Canada’s Brad Marchand (Hammonds Plains, NS/Halifax, QMJHL) scored just 25 seconds into the second to make it 3-0. Marchand completed a nice play set up by Claude Giroux (Ottawa, ON/Gatineau, QMJHL). Finland cut into the lead at 8:47 on Niko Aaltonen’s power-play goal.

Early in the third, Finland’s Ville Lajunen scored another goal with the man advantage to cut Canada’s lead to one. But Matthias restored Canada’s two-goal lead with his second of the game at 8:29 and that was it for scoring.