Latvia and Austria are heading to the relegation round of the world juniors despite making their thrilling games on Friday against Slovakia and Germany.
The round-robin for the world juniors is beginning to wind down, and before the grand slate on New Year’s Eve, four teams treated fans to two close matches as three looked to avoid the relegation round. Desperate times call for desperate measures for desperate teams.
The Slovaks carried their strong play over from their upset win over the Americans and took care of business against the Latvians, who have played an aggressive game all tournament long. The Latvians will head to the relegation round, but they will be the favorite to emerge from that pair.
Germany beat Austria, but it wasn’t as easy as many predicted. The Austrians played hard and took almost as many shots in this game alone as they had in the rest of the tournament combined. The Germans needed quality goaltending and timely scoring to secure a quarterfinal berth.
Slovakia Overcomes Rambunctious Latvia
The Latvians were competitive in this game, as they've been in just about every game they've played in, but the true talent level just wasn't enough as an emerging Slovak squad allowed their skilled players to stand out. Slovakia features a number of first-round picks and a couple of players that could be first-rounders in the upcoming draft. Latvia simply doesn't have that talent yet, although this was certainly the best Latvian team in recent memory.
The Slovaks were the better team in a slow-paced first period, with neither team taking advantage of the few chances they had until Slovakia scored on the power play late in the frame. 2023 draft-eligible forward Alex Ciernik was in the right place at the right time as the rebound from Peter Repcik's shot from the right side of the net popped out to Ciernik on the back door. Tapping in the rebound for his second goal of the tournament, Ciernik scored the eventual game-winner.
The Latvians controlled the second period, and goaltender Adam Gajan was the biggest reason the Slovaks didn't surrender the lead. The undrafted 18-year-old made massive saves, stretching out to cover a miscue defensively or covering the puck to calm the attack. His athleticism and battle held the Slovaks together.
In the third period, the Slovaks managed to get another goal to extend the lead to 2-0 on a great play by New Jersey Devils' prospect Simon Nemec. Joining the rush as the late man, Nemec took a pass from Filip Mesar and beat a defender in stride before wiring the puck off the post and in. The two goalies traded saves the rest of the way before Slovakia added an empty-netter to secure the win.
The victory moves Slovakia into a tie for second place in the group. Thanks to their win over the Americans, they control their destiny to a degree. With a win of any kind over Switzerland on New Year's Eve, they could lock up a top-two spot in the group while having a very good chance at first place.
Germany Avoids the Relegation Round with a Win Over Austria
The first game that Austria surpassed 13 shots on goal was all for not, as the Germans put together their most impressive performance of the tournament.
The Austrians scored their first goal of the tournament and added another for good measure. Germany lacked the star power of recent years without the Tim Stutzle's or Mortiz Seider's on this year's roster, but they found a way to develop talent and play a structured game.
The return of captain Bennet Rossmy was big for the Germans as well, as he infused some of the size and skill they were missing, collecting an assist on the day.
The first period was an even affair, and neither team took hold of the game. The Germans managed to get a goal as Philipp Krening found a rebound and tucked it behind the Austrian netminder with just under two minutes to play. The Austrians seemed to take that one goal as a death blow because they lost their focus from that point on as they capped the first 20 and began the next period.
Just over 90 seconds into the second period, the Germans managed to capitalize again, with Rossmy winning the faceoff and Leon van der Linde firing the puck just inside the post. The two-goal lead gave the Germans some pep in their step.
Shortly after, the Germans scored again with a pair of twins combining for the goal as Thomas Heigl scored on a pass from Nikolaus Heigl.
Ian Scherzer, a 2023 NHL draft-eligible center, scored a power-play goal to get Austria on the board this tournament. The 17-year-old collected the puck high in the zone and glided through the faceoff circle before ripping a shot past the German netminder.
Austria's first goal of the tournament gave them life. The Germans added another before the third period, but Austria was coming alive.
Austria outshot their opponent in a period for the first time all tournament in the third period, collecting 18 shots.
Jonas Dobnig scored a goal off a loose puck in tight to get Austria their second goal of the tournament.
The Austrians out-played Germany for long stretches in the third period, and they deserved a goal or two, but Nikita Quapp was quite good in Germany's net.
The Austrians were desperate and diving to prevent empty-net goals in an effort to prolong their tournament, making some huge blocks and takeaways to keep Germany from scoring.
Austria may not have won the game, but they wound up outshooting the Germans 33-27 in the game thanks to their aggressive play in the third, collecting more shots in the period than any previous game in the tournament.
They will be underdogs in the relegation round against Latvia, but they have a chance if they play the way they did late in this game.
Three Stars:
1st Star: Adam Gajan, G, Slovakia
The Slovak squad was outplayed for long stretches of the game against Latvia, but Cajan’s strong goaltending allowed his team to stay in the game and secure the win. Gajan made many outstanding saves on the night, showcasing his athleticism and collecting his first shutout and second round-robin win. Gajan is a Green Bay Gamblers netminder and has played in the NAHL for much of the year, but his performance at the world juniors could make him an intriguing late-round draft choice.
2nd Star: Nikita Quapp, G, Germany
The Carolina Hurricanes prospect is Germany’s MVP in the tournament. He’s been one of the best netminders, helping the Germans stay in the game against Sweden and win against Latvia. Quapp has the size and mobility to be a quality NHL prospect, and the steady play for the Germans at the world juniors will only boost his stock.
3rd Star: Ian Scherzer, F, Austria
The third star could have gone to a few players, but Austria’s first goal-scorer deserves the love for raising the roof in Halifax. He is an intriguing prospect for this year’s NHL draft and could be a mid-to-late-round pick that winds up being a steal. Scherzer is consistently one of Austria’s best players internationally this year and could find his stock on the rise thanks to a solid world juniors.