‘That was an awesome ending’

The audible gasps were eventually replaced by sighs of relief.

As members of the Winnipeg Jets left the ice to catch the end of Canada’s quarterfinal tilt with Czechia on Wednesday, there was some good-natured banter and occasional chirping taking place in various corners of the locker room inside Hockey For All Centre.

It turns out not everyone was actually rooting for the guys wearing the Maple Leaf on the front of the jersey.

“If you’re not Canadian, no one wants to see Canada do well in hockey,” said Jets forward Cole Perfetti. “So, there’s a few guys that were Czech fans today, so it was fun little banter.”

The on-ice session began close to half an hour early to provide the opportunity for Jets players and coaches to see the exciting conclusion, which featured a go-ahead goal for Czechia, a late equalizer on a deft deflection from Nick Suzuki and an outstanding individual effort from Mitch Marner during three-on-three overtime action.

“Three on three, with those guys on the ice, it’s fun to watch. Happy Canada won,” said Perfetti. “That was a great play (by Marner), obviously. His deception, he kind of looked like he was going to not attack there, and then just to find a little hole and split the gap there and then, a little chip-shot backhand. That was nice.”

There was certainly some tension to sort through, but ultimately Canada was able to rally, rather than be knocked out in what would have been viewed as a massive upset.

Instead, Canada’s dream team is now assured of playing for a medal — and the gold remains in play.

“See, I look at it, that was an awesome ending,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “That’s one thing about when you have such elite players playing a tournament like that, (Jordan) Binnington making the save, and then just staying with it.

“It’s never over till it’s over and you don’t want to see them go through such a nail-biter, but at the end of day, it’s probably great for them, having not played for a couple of days and kind of getting right back in the heat of a game like that. That was pretty exciting. Obviously, it turned out the right way.”

The victory also leaves open the possibility of Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey getting back into Canada’s lineup for Friday’s semifinal (9:40 a.m. CT).

Morrissey has been out of action since suffering an undisclosed injury in the opening game of the Olympics.

“We’ve talked about it, with our team over the course of the year, you’re jumping into fast-moving waters,” Arniel said of the prospect of Morrissey’s return. “But I think with Josh, the biggest thing about him is the ability to move (the puck) and to skate. And that’s his best attribute.

“So there will be lots of nerves, I’m sure, but I’m really hoping that he gets back in the next game.”

Jets winger Nino Niederreiter scored his first goal of the Olympics on Wednesday, but Switzerland lost a heartbreaker, 3-2 in overtime to Finland after building a 2-0 lead.

Goalie Connor Hellebuyck and Team USA advanced to the semis with a win over Sweden, while Kyle Connor was a healthy scratch for a second consecutive game.

“I still think that he’s a guy you want in those games. In that third period when it’s a tight game, he’s a guy that’s a difference maker, that can put the puck in the back of the net,” said Arniel. “But, whatever their decision is there, why they’re doing it, I’m not sure. I don’t agree with it, but at the end of the day, I just hope that after (Wednesday’s) game, that maybe he gets a chance in the semifinal.”

Connor’s teammates feel for him being a healthy scratch, but understand the sacrifices that need to be made when playing on a talented team at such a high-profile event.

“When you’re on the Olympic team I think there’s so many great hockey players, there’s so many good guys, and you’re just there to be a team guy and support and try to win a medal as a team for your country,” said Perfetti. “I know he’s going to be a good teammate about it and be a good guy about it. I’m sure he wants to be in the lineup and be playing and be an impact guy like he is for us.”

The Jets, who are 22-26-8 this season, went through a second workout since returning from the Olympic break and kept the focus on playing with pace.

Although the Jets aren’t back in action until next Wednesday when they open a three-game road trip against the Vancouver Canucks, they recognize what facing an 11-point deficit with 26 games to go means.

“If you look at our schedule, we play a lot of teams that are in and around us or just above us, so we can make some ground up here,” said Perfetti. “If we got off to a hot start, we can catch some teams early and start feeling good about ourselves. Like I said, all of those teams that are close in points, we all play each other.

“So, we’ve got to go out, do our job and win some games. In a matter of a couple of weeks, we could be right in there and right in that playoff spot.”

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