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WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: The Day After

Published 1:30 am Friday, January 6, 2017

By Jesse Geleynse Herald Writer

I apologize for not posting anything last night following Team USA’s epic 5-4 shootout victory over Team Canada to claim the gold medal at the 2017 World Junior Championship.

A game like that deserves some time to digest and I wanted to write a more thoughtful post after I had time to do so.

Everett goaltender Carter Hart started the game in net and was solid for all 80 minutes and during the shootout. The only shootout goal came off the stick of Troy Terry, who beat Hart through the five-hole, the same place Terry went three times in Wednesday’s shootout to beat the Russians.

The game itself was terrific and had many long-time followers and chroniclers of the event calling it an instant classic. The Americans overcame a pair of two-goal deficits before a mostly hostile crowd in Montreal.

Team USA goalie Tyler Parsons was brilliant as he saved 46 of the 50 shots served up by the Canadians. Parsons clinched it by stopping all five Canadian shooters in the shootout including Nicholas Roy’s final attempt to tie, though Roy didn’t get a shot off.

Hart played well one night after coming off the bench for a flawless performance against the Swedes in Wednesday’s semifinals. He finished with 31 saves and more importantly solidified his place as Canada’s top netminder. The country seems to possess a collective existential angst about goaltending at World Juniors, and it took until the semis for the team to finally settle on Hart. The good news for Canadian fans is that Hart is only 18 and will be back between the pipes next year.

That didn’t make last night any easier as an emotional Hart showed in this video after the game:

Goaltenders have a special camaraderie because only goalies can understand the pressure they’re truly under. Here’s a look at Connor Ingram consoling his fellow netminder:

Hart and fellow Silvertip Noah Juulsen are each headed home and will get some time off before rejoining the Tips next week.

While most eyes were on the title game last night, the Tips were preparing for tonight’s game at the ShoWare Center. Everett is 2-0 against the Thunderbirds this season, but eight more contests loom between now and the end of the season.

I spoke with newly acquired defenseman Aaron Irving Thursday, and also had a feature on Kevin Davis who has been huge for the Tips on the blue line in Juulsen’s absence.

For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter.

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