No Montreal Canadiens prospect will play in the gold medal game at the World Junior Championship, but it won't be for lack of trying, as Michael Hage was everywhere in Canada's loss to Czechia.
When semifinal day opened at the World Junior Championship, two Montreal Canadiens hoped to qualify for the gold medal game, but after a day of nail-biting action, neither one of them did.
In the first game of the day on Sunday, Finland took on Sweden, and Habs' 70th overall selection at the 2024 draft, Aatos Koivu, once again watched from the stands as he was fighting a virus. The Finns fell 4-3 in the shootout to the Swedes. The Tre Konor looked to be heading to the final with less than six minutes left in regulation when the Finns tied up the score to send the game to overtime.
The 10-minute extra frame saw both teams create chances, and the Swedes even took a penalty, but Finland was unable to seal the deal on the power play. The Suomi took the early lead in the shootout, but Sweden tied the score before the end of the mandatory five rounds. Then, as it became a do-or-die situation, Anton Frondell scored the game-winning goal, sending the Swedes to the gold medal game.
Canadiens Finish Road Trip With Big Win
Canadiens’ Three Stars At The Halfway Point
Two Canadiens Prospects Make Semifinals
Less than an hour after the dramatic ending, the puck dropped on the second semifinal with Canada taking on Czechia. While the former steamrolled Slovakia in the quarterfinals, they were unable to do the same against a much stronger Czech side, and, for the third time in as many years, it sent the Canadians packing.
While Team Canada scored the first goal from Tij Iginla 15 minutes in, the Czechs tied the game less than two minutes later, and the Canadians never led again, playing catch-up all the way through.
Canadiens’ prospect Michael Hage played a pivotal role in the game, not just because he registered a couple of assists on game-tying goals, but also because he had the opportunity to put Canada in front with a penalty shot, which he missed…twice. On his first attempt, he was tripped by the goaltender and was therefore given a do-over, but he chose to use the same move, and Michal Orsulak wasn’t going to bite on it twice; he made the save. Czechia took a 3-2 lead shortly after, and with 20 minutes to go in regulation, the Canadians found themselves on the brink.
Cole Reshny tied up the game less than five minutes into the third, with a nice pass from Hage, but Czechia retook the lead less than six minutes later. Captain Porter Malone then tied up the score again with less than three minutes left on the clock; at that stage, one could have hoped Canada would hang on to force overtime. Still, the Czechs scored again with less than two minutes left, and they added an empty netter to put the final nail in the Canadians' coffin.
Throughout the game, Hage hit three posts on top of taking another six shots, but he couldn’t find the back of the net. After the game, Hockey Canada named Sam O'Reilly (TB), Tij Iginla (UTA) and Zayne Parekh (CAL) as its top three players in the tournament, even though Hage was the highest scoring Canadian forward with 11 points in six games, followed by Gavin McKenna with 10 points. Clearly, his lack of finish at crunch time cost Hage a place in that top three.
For the first time in 13 years, the champions won’t be Finnish, Canadian or American. The Czechs haven’t won gold since 2001, and the Swedes haven’t since 2012. Hage and Canada can still win a bronze medal if they shake off their disappointment in time for their last game, which is scheduled for 4:30 PM on Monday.
Despite the disappointment of not making the final or being named one of the top-three players of his team, Hage has had a fantastic tournament. If Canadiens’ fans weren’t excited about him already, they surely are now. At the end of his NCAA season, he will have to decide if he’s ready to turn pro. While the Canadiens can’t dictate the course of action, GM Kent Hughes seems to believe that the prospect is ready to take the next step, judging by his interview with RDS at the tournament.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.
Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here.