World Juniors Update: US Defeats Canada to Win World Junior Championship
1/6/2021 9:35:00 AM | Ice Hockey
University of Michigan ice hockey sophomore Cam York and freshmen Matty Beniers and Brendan Brisson will compete for Team USA at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, scheduled for Dec. 25, 2020, through Jan. 5, 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta. Follow the Wolverine trio's progress via updates on this page.
• IIHF World Junior Championship Site | Standings
• USA Hockey World Juniors Site
Team USA Schedule
Times EST; All games on NHL Network
Friday, Dec. 25 -- Prelims vs. Russia (L, 3-5) | Game Center
Saturday, Dec. 26 -- Prelims vs. Austria (W, 11-0) | Game Center
Tuesday, Dec. 29 -- Prelims vs. Czech Republic (W, 7-0) | Game Center
Thursday, Dec. 31 -- Prelims vs. Sweden (W, 4-0) | Game Center
Saturday, Jan. 2 -- Quarterfinal vs. Slovakia (W, 5-2) | Game Center
Monday, Jan. 4 -- Semifinals vs. Finland (W, 4-3) | Game Center
Tuesday, Jan. 5 -- Gold medal game vs. Canada (W, 2-0) | Game Center
Tuesday, Jan. 5: Team USA Captures Gold with Win Over Canada
Captain Cam York, Matty Beniers, Brendan Brisson and assistant coach Kris Mayotte won gold with a 2-0 Team USA victory over Canada in the WJC championship game.
Spencer Knight stopped all 34 shots he faced in goal, as the U.S. shut out Canada. The Americans tallied two even-strength goals, the first allowed by Canada in the tournament, in the victory.
York had two shots on goal in his 20:13 on the ice. Beniers won four draws in his 18:06 and Brendan Brisson played in 7:12.
York handed out the gold medals to his teammates and was presented with the championship trophy that he lifted for the Red, White and Blue.
With Tuesday's win, Mayotte now has two gold medals at World Juniors and three total, including a bronze in 2018.
Michigan players now have earned 20 medals with USA at the World Juniors, and two as coaching staff.
Monday, Jan. 4: York Among Top Three Players; Team USA to Gold Medal Game
Captain Cam York was named one of Team USA's top three players after a 4-3 victory over Finland in the semifinals of the World Junior Championship on Monday (Jan 4). York, along with forward Trevor Zegras and Spencer Knight were chosen as the top three players in advance of the gold medal game.
The U.S. will face off with Canada on Tuesday night at 9:30 p.m. on NHL Network.
The U.S. took a 1-0 lead in the first period before a power-play goal evened the scoring at the first intermission. The Americans added two goals in the second period to take a 3-1 lead into the final frame. Finland drew within one with under 10 minutes to play and converted on a power-play opportunity to tie the game with less than four minutes remaining in regulation. With 1:16 remaining, Arthur Kaliyev called for the puck in the slot and roofed one past the Finnish netminder.
York once again posted the most ice time (21:51). Matty Beniers had one shot on goal and won eight draws while logging the second most time on the ice (20:52). Brendan Brisson put in 7:15 on the ice.
Assistant coach Kris Mayotte will claim his third medal in as many appearances. He was behind the bench for the Team USA's gold medal in 2017 and bronze medal in 2018.
The U.S. has medaled in four of the last five years and has earned 12 podium finishes. Michigan players have earned 17 medals with USA Hockey. Five have won gold, including Matt Hunwick, Al Montoya and Danny Richmond in 2004; Jacob Trouba in 2013 and Joseph Ceccoini in 2017.
Saturday, Jan. 2: Matty's Tally Seals Win Over Slovakia
Matty Beniers scored as the U.S. National Junior Team defeated Slovakia, 5-2, in the World Junior Championship quarterfinals in the early morning hours Sunday (Jan. 3). Beniers empty-net goal was his first of the championship and his third point.
Beniers fired four shots on goal during the game with his ice time at 18:12, the second-higest total of any forward. Captain Cam York finished at +1 and led all skaters with 22:40 of ice time. Brendan Brisson totaled 10:45. The U.S. set a World Juniors record for the longest shutout streak at 218:53.
The U.S. will face Finland in the semifinals Monday at 9:30 p.m. on NHL Network. Canada will face Russia in the first semifinal at 6 p.m.
Beniers, Brisson and York look to add to the Maize and Blue's medal total for the U.S. at the World Juniors, which stands at 17.
Thursday, Dec. 31: USA Earns Top Seed in Group B
The U.S. National Junior Team clinched the top spot in Group B with a 4-0 win over Sweden in the final hockey game of the 2020 calendar year. The U.S. will face Slovakia, the fourth-seeded team in Group A, Saturday (Jan. 2) in the quarterfinal round. Game time is 10:30 p.m. EST on NHL Network.
Captain Cam York had one shot on goal, was +1 and had 17:42 minutes of ice time against Sweden. He is second on the team in scoring with six points (1 goal, 5 assists) and is second in the tournament in defenseman scoring overall.
Matty Beniers had one shot, was even and was on the ice for 16:10. Beniers had two assists in his four prelim games. Brendan Brisson had three shots on goal, was even and played 14:41. He finished group play with two goals in four games.
The U.S. has medaled in six of the last 10 years and was sixth one year ago. Other quarterfinal matchups include: Russia vs. Germany, Finland vs. Sweden, and Canada vs. Czech Republic.
Tuesday, Dec. 29: York Adds to Point Total with Playmaker
Cam York collected three assists as the U.S. National Junior Team topped Czech Republic, 7-0, Tuesday afternoon.
York played the most minutes on the team with 22:38, the only skater with more than 20 minutes of ice time. He was a +3 and had one shot on goal. The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick leads all defenseman at the World Juniors with six points. The last Michigan defenseman to have six or more points at the World Juniors was Zach Werenski, who had nine en route to the bronze medal in 2016.
Matty Beniers grabbed an assist as well, throwing the puck on goal for his teammate to put away the rebound. He played 13:23, while Brendan Brisson played 11:18 and had one shot on goal.
With the victory the U.S. clinched a spot in the tournament quarterfinals on Jan. 2. The Americans will close out round-robin play Thursday (Dec. 31) against Sweden at 9:30 p.m. EST on the NHL Network. The teams are tied in the Group B standings with six points.
Saturday, Dec. 26: A Point (or Two) for Each Wolverine
Matty Beniers, Brendan Brisson and Cam York each collected a point as U.S. National Junior Team defeated Austria, 11-0, in preliminary round action. Brisson netted two goals, while Beniers and York each had an assist as the U.S. tallied its most goals in the World Juniors since 2012.
The fourth goal had Maize and Blue all over it. Beniers drew a penalty with his hard work in the offensive zone, giving the U.S. its first power-play opportunity of the game. The Americans converted on the chance with Brisson collecting his first point of the World Juniors with a textbook shot from the inside the right dot.
Less than seven minutes later, Beniers made the scoresheet when he got a stretch pass during an Austrian line change and took advantage with the unselfish play of dishing off to Matt Boldy at the last second to make it 6-0 USA.
Captain York, who had a goal and an assist in Friday night's loss to Russia, earned his third point of the tournament with a helper on a power-play goal in the second period that made it a 7-0 game.
Brisson scored his second goal of the game early in the third period to make it 9-0.
This is the first time three Wolverines have tallied a point in a single World Juniors game since Dec. 28, 2014, when USA defeated Germany 6-0. In that game, Dylan Larkin had two goals and one assist, Tyler Motte added an assist, and Zach Werenski had an assist.
The U.S. will return to action Tuesday (Dec. 29) when it takes on Czech Republic at 2 p.m. EST on the NHL Network.
Friday, Dec. 25: York Scores in Opening Loss
Cam York logged two points and was named the USA Player of the Game, but the U.S. lost 5-3 to Russia in the opening game of the IIHF World Junior Championship. York tallied the first goal of the tournament for the Americans with a drive from the point that made its way through traffic and past netminder Yaroslav Askarov to tie the game at 1. It marked the Philadelphia Flyers draft pick's first World Juniors point.
York went on to assist on an extra-attacker power-play goal by Trevor Zegras in the third period that pulled the U.S. within one, 4-3. York finished with 22:49 of ice time and had four shots. After the first day of WJC competition, he leads all defenseman in scoring along with Topi Niemela (Finland).
Center Matty Beniers went .500 on the faceoff dot and had three shots on goal while playing 16:19. Brendan Brisson had one shot on goal and posted 10:21 on ice. The United States will look to even its record Saturday (Dec. 26) when it faces Austria in its second of four preliminary games at 9:30 p.m. EST on NHL Network.
Thursday, Dec. 24: York Named Captain
Cam York was been named captain of the United States team for the World Junior Championship, as announced by USA Hockey. York, making his second straight appearance at the World Junior Championship, is the fifth Wolverine in program history to earn the coveted "C" on his sweater at the WJC, joining Mike Van Ryn (Canada 1999), Eric Nystrom (USA 2003), Kevin Porter (USA 2006) and Zach Werenski (USA 2016).
"I'm humbled by the guys naming me captain," said York, a 2019 first-round draft selection of the Philadelphia Flyers. "This is a huge honor, and I'm excited for what this team can do. I think this is not just a really talented team, but it's a great group of guys who really care about one another and have come together well as a team."
In his first year as a Wolverine, York led all defensemen in scoring and was fourth overall in scoring with 16 points. He tallied five goals and 11 assists in 30 games, finished a +9 and blocked 54 shots en route to being named a finalist for the Big Ten Rookie of the Year and earning a place on the Big Ten All-Rookie Team. York, a preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection this year, again leads the defenseman in scoring with five points in eight games, scoring two goals and three assists.
York and his team begin play Friday (Dec. 25) at 9:30 p.m. EST vs. Russia.
