USA Fall to Canada in the WFCQ Opener!

Despite taking the lead in the first period through William Eriksson team USA end up on the short end of a 3-2 score against Canada. This means USA have to win game two tomorrow by two to reach the WFC in Prague in December.

Both team come out with a lot of speed and energy. USA create the most chances in the beginning but Canada get into the game and start creating chances that Cam Keener in the US goal handles well. The Canadian team put pressure all over the court and give Team USA a hard time. But even so the chances come. Not least when the teams trade power play opportunities towards the end of the period. The lone goal of the period comes with under two minutes to play as Maurin Ruegg runs along the boards and finds Fabian Länzlinger in the middle who gets the ball to William Eriksson on the far side, he shoots and scores, 0-1 to team USA after the first.

A scoreless second period is much the same as the first with both Keener and Taylor Shipp, in Canada's goal, stepping up and making some great saves. Team USA repeatedly find passes through the Canadian defense but are unable to capitalize. The Canadians on the other hand find a lot of tricky shots from the outside.

The third period is when things start to happen. It only takes 37 seconds for Felix Robillard to find the net from just outside the goal, 1-1. It takes even short time for Ruegg to answer with a goal of his own, lifting the ball into the top corner from in close. But the Canadians are up to the task this morning and a goal by Bill Petrie is followed by a wraparound goal by Valtteri Viitakoski, 3-2. Team USA take out all the stops in the end and bombard Shipp with shots and chances but are unable to equalize.
This give Canada a 3-2 win and a one goal advantage going into Sunday's rematch.

Game stats WFCQ 2018 Canada vs USA Game 1 3-2
USA and Canada face off again on Sunday at 10:00 am, 16:00 CET, and the game can be seen on the IFF YouTube Channel here.