Akil Thomas, the 19-year-old Niagara IceDogs forward and Toronto product, scored a spectacular goal off a breakaway with 3:58 remaining in the third period to give Canada a 4-3 win over Russia in the gold medal final of the 2020 World Junior Hockey Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic on Sunday afternoon.
Thomas pounced on a turnover and outraced a Russian defender for the puck before putting a shot upstairs on his backhand over Russia’s Amir Miftakhov while falling to the ice.
The goal was Thomas’ first of the tournament and came just 4:41 after captain Barrett Hayton scored the tying goal on the power play.
Hayton – who hails from Peterborough and plays for the Arizona Coyotes in the NHL – suited up despite suffering a shoulder injury in Canada’s semifinal win over Finland.
Making the victory all the more spectacular was with 10:14 remaining in the contest, it looked as if things were going to once again go Russia’s way, much like they did in their 6-0 win over Canada in the round robin.
Nikita Alexandrov opened scoring for Russia with a power play goal at 9:37 of the second period before Dylan Cozens of the Lethbridge Hurricanes got Canada on the board just over a minute later.
The 1-1 draw would only last 3:45, though, before Grigori Denisenko scored to give Russia a 2-1 lead heading into the third.
Maxim Sorkin put Russia ahead 3-1 with 8:46 gone in final frame, setting the stage for yet another incredible Canadian third-period comeback.
Connor McMichael got things started 34 seconds after Sorkin’s marker, and after Dmitri Vronkov took a cross-checking penalty at 10:11, Hayton scored his goal to get Canada back within one.
Penalties were the story of the game in the early going, as Canada took four minors in the first period and were on their fifth penalty when Alexandrov scored Russia’s first goal.
It was a non-call late in the game that drew the most attention, though.
With Kevin Bahl of the Ottawa 67’s in the penalty box with just over two minutes remaining a Canadian defenceman appeared to clear the puck over the glass as Russia pressed for the tying goal. The puck would hit a TSN broadcast camera on the way out, though, and as a result no penalty was called.
Things went from bad to worse for Russia from there.
Pavel Dorofeyev would take an interference penalty with 1:26 remaining and as Russia attempted to press for the tying goal in spite of being a man down, Denisenko would break his stick on a shot and carry the broken shaft to the bench. That’s a penalty for using a broken stick, and Russia was two men down for the final 38 seconds of the game.
Canada would make no mistake the rest of the way and would win their second gold in three years and 18th gold in World Junior Hockey Championship history.
Thomas, meanwhile, joins Tyler Steenbergen – who scored his only goal of the tournament in the final minutes to give Canada gold in 2018 – and Jordan Eberle, who scored the legendary final second goal as Canada would go on to defeat Russia in the semifinal of the 2009 gold medal win.
Winnipeg product Joel Hofer of the Portland Winterhawks was solid in goal, turning aside 35 shots while Canada fired 30 shots at Russia’s Amir Miftakhov.
Hofer was named the tournament’s top goaltender and Alex Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic took home the tournament’s most valuable player award.
