Six down, one to go.
Prince George Cougars goaltender Taylor Gauthier is set to bring home a medal from the 2021 World Junior Hockey Championships as Canada will play for the gold in the final on Tuesday night (Jan. 5) at 6:30 p.m. Pacific time.
Devon Levi blanked the Russians 5-0 in the semi-finals this afternoon (Jan. 4) by turning away all 28 shots he faced for his third shutout of the tournament.
Gauthier has been the third netminder in the bubble at Rogers Place in Edmonton and is the only player on Canada that has yet to be drafted into the NHL.
He has the chance to be part of the first Canadian World Junior team since 2009 to win back-to-back gold medals after they won it all last year in the Czech Republic.
If the hosts prevail, it'll also be Gauthier's second title on an international stage after backstopping Canada to the 2018 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup.
Two of Canada's goal-scorers represented the Western Hockey League (WHL) with Brandon Wheat Kings' Braden Schneider and Lethbridge Hurricanes' Dylan Cozens.
Former BCHL star Alex Newhook, Connor McMichael and Cole Perfetti lit the other three lamps en route to the semi-final victory.
Canada's 2021 tournament results have been as follows:
- 5-0 win over Russia (semi-final)
- 3-0 win over Czech Republic (quarter-final)
- 4-1 win over Finland
- 10-0 win over Switzerland
- 3-1 win over Slovakia
- 16-2 win over Germany
Canada will play the winner of the second semi-final between Finland and the United States.
