WJC Day 9 Recap : Ylonen wins gold

MONTREAL – Finland claimed the World Junior Hockey Championship crown for the third time in six years on Saturday after besting the United States by a score of 3-2.

There were no goals to report at the midway point of the contest before Canadiens prospect Jesse Ylonen lit the lamp for the Finns on a slapshot.

Finland doubled their lead in the third period, but the Americans rallied with two goals of their own in a span of 46 seconds to tie things up.

That didn’t keep the Finns down, though, as they ended up scoring the game-winner with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.

Ylonen finished the tournament with three goals and six points, along with a plus-5 differential.

Tweet from @IIHFHockey: HIGHLIGHTS: What a dramatic medal day that ended with Kaapo Kakko’s championship-clinching goal for Finland in the dying minutes of the game to beat Team USA 3-2. Don’t miss the highlights from the #WorldJuniors final! @leijonat @usahockey Read more: https://t.co/7VnOT6sjMU pic.twitter.com/yE21VUtrVd

For his part, fellow Habs prospect Ryan Poehling was held off the scoresheet in the gold medal game. He won 12 of his 24 faceoffs, amassed five shots on goal and logged 19:09 of ice time. That made him the most utilized forward on the American side alongside Joel Farabee.

The Canadiens’ first-round selection in 2017 was named both the top forward in the tournament and the tournament MVP as well. He registered five goals and eight points over the course of the annual event.

Goaltender Cayden Primeau turned aside 28 of 31 shots against on Saturday, finishing the event with a 1.61 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage.

Tweet from @IIHFHockey: Congratulations to @leijonat! They are #WorldJuniors champions!!!!! 🏆🥇 pic.twitter.com/lfqBQb6RAZ

Russia 5 – Switzerland 2

The Russians earned a spot on the podium with a 5-2 win over the Swiss in the bronze medal matchup on Saturday.

Canadiens prospect Alexander Romanov collected an assist on Russia’s third goal, which proved to be the game-winner. He finished the game with a plus-3 differential and logged 20:58 of ice time.

Tweet from @IIHFHockey: HIGHLIGHTS: The Swiss never gave up after an early Russian lead but the Russians cruised to a 5-2 victory and claim #WorldJuniors bronze! @russiahockey @russiahockey_en @SwissIceHockey READ MORE: https://t.co/xUrJJGJA9q pic.twitter.com/eymUmnzN74

The young rearguard finished the tournament with one goal and eight points, leading all defensemen in that department. His plus-12 differential led all players in the event as well.

As a result, Romanov was named the top defensemen in the tournament.

In the end, four of the record seven Canadiens hopefuls in British Columbia earned some hardware with Ylonen claiming gold, Poehling and Primeau winning silver, and Romanov collecting bronze.

What’s on tap in 2020?

For the first time since 2016, the World Junior Hockey Championship will be played on European soil. It will mark the 44th edition of the tournament, which will be held in the Czech Republic.

Group A will consist of Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovakia and Kazakhstan, while Group B will include the United States, Russia, Canada, the Czech Republic and Germany.