Two Cats in the cage, but only one will reign victorious.
Canada defeated Finland 4-1 this evening (Dec. 31) to finish 4-0 and win their group at the 2021 World Junior Hockey Championships, and are set to meet the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals.
The Prince George Cougars are represented on both rosters and with the Czech Republic shutting out Austria 7-0 this morning to claim fourth in their respective group, that means they'll meet in the first round of the playoffs.
So either Taylor Gauthier and Filip Koffer will move on to the semi-finals, which will earn them the chance to medal at the bubble tournament in Edmonton following Saturday's (Jan. 2) match.
Only 1 @PGCougars player will have a chance to medal at the 2021 World Jr. Championships! Taylor Gauthier’s 🇨🇦 beat 🇫🇮 4-1 to clinch Group ‘A’ & will meet Filip Koffer’s 🇨🇿 in the quarter-finals on Saturday (Jan. 2) | #CityOfPG #WorldJuniors @PGMatters pic.twitter.com/2vNJuZrjlL
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) January 1, 2021
However, the odds of them sharing the ice are very little.
Gauthier has been the third goaltender for Canada as Devon Levi won the go-to spot following training camp and Dylan Garand being assigned to the back-up position.
"He's been practicing with us every day," said Head Coach Andre Tourigny when asked by PrinceGeorgeMatters on Gauthier's status, "on game day and in the morning skate every morning at 9 a.m. [Alberta time] with Dylan Garand. They touch the ice every day and we had a good practice."
Levi has started in every game for Canada thus far and has compiled a 0.82 goals-against average, and has stopped 58 of 61 shots for a .951 save-percentage.
The lone time he hasn't played was the third period in the defending champions' opening match against Germany, when Garand was put between the pipes once Canada vaulted to an 11-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Gauthier competed admirably in the intrasquad games prior to the World Juniors, facing Tourigny and company with a tough choice to make.
"Like I said many times, we have three really good goaltenders. We were pleased with our goaltending and camp and we had a difficult decision to make and unfortunately for Taylor, he is our third goaltender, but he's part of the team he's stayed ready and he's had a good attitude so far."
Koffer, on the other hand, has been a regular on the Czechs' fourth line, much to the satisfaction of Head Coach Karel Mlejnek when asked by PrinceGeorgeMatters following his team's 2-0 upset over Russia on Sunday (Dec. 27).
"Filip is a very hardworking guy," he described, as Koffer scored the game-winning goal in what has been the biggest upset of the tournament thus far.
"He’s a power forward that every coach wants to have on his team and we’re happy to have him."
The 19-year-old has been given a considerable amount of time on the ice and will likely be an asset on the penalty-killing unit.
The time of the Canada-Czech Republic quarter-final will be determined later tonight.
