Canada ready for anyone

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This article was published 02/01/2009 (6470 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Their come-from-behind 7-4 win over the United States on New Year’s Eve earned Team Canada Thursday off.

The only hockey the players saw was on TV.

They’ll return to the practice ice at Scotiabank Place today, knowing they need just two more victories for Canada’s fifth consecutive gold medal and its 15th overall in the world junior hockey championship.

The only obstacle to an appearance in Monday’s final would be in underestimating their semifinal opponent, which will be either the Czech Republic (2-2) or Russia (3-1), who meet in a quarter-final today at Scotiabank Place.

“Last year we didn’t have the luxury of having a day off,” said team captain Thomas Hickey of the Seattle Thunderbirds. “But we have to make sure in practice that we’re doing the right things, because the team that gets out of that quarter-final game is going to be ready. They’ll have played the night before, so we’ll have to be prepared for it.

“We will not take any team lightly. That’s not the way it works. It’s do or die now, every game.”

The day off was especially welcome for Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Zach Boychuk, who fell awkwardly on his right ankle when he was checked in the third period.

A post-game X-ray was negative, there was only a little bit of swelling, and he was walking under his own power Thursday. While he’s day-to-day, there’s a chance he could play Saturday night.

The day off also gave head coach Pat Quinn extra time to choose his goalie for the semifinal: either the Spokane Chiefs’ Dustin Tokarski, who gave up four goals to the U.S., but got the win, or the Tri-City Americans’ Chet Pickard, of Winnipeg. Quinn figured the coaching staff would make its choice late today after evaluating practice.

— Canwest News Service