Canada trails Czechia after first period in opening game of WJC
Published
A pair of goals from David Spacek and David Moravec 35 seconds apart late in the first period gave Czechia a 2-1 lead over Team Canada after 20 minutes of play in their first game of the 2023 World Junior Championship.
After sustaining constant pressure, Canada was soon on its heels as Zach Dean drew the game's first penalty for slashing.
Canadian goaltender Benjamin Gaudreau steered away a handful of shots to help Canada return to even strength.
Canada capitalized on their first power-play opportunity of the game as after Czechia had a goal waved off due to a penalty, Shane Wright tipped in Canada's first goal of the tournament.
While initially called a goal on the ice, Canada would have a goal by Brandt Clarke challenged and overturned due to offside.
Gaudreau stopped seven of the nine shots he faced, while Suchanek steered away 11.