No More Shootouts: Strong defence will be Canada’s backbone at world juniors
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. — Canada’s junior hockey team has a simple rule for the 2018 world championship: No more shootouts.
Head coach Dominique Ducharme and his defensive corps have made it their mantra at this year’s selection camp after losing 5-4 in a shootout to the United States in the 2017 gold-medal game.
Returning defencemen Kale Clague, Jake Bean and Dante Fabbro, backed by incumbent goaltender Carter Hart, are determined to not let any games go that far.
“Going through what we did last year, losing in the final in the shootout, we’re not going to let those mistakes happen again,” said Clague between practices at the Meridian Centre. “Our big thing this year is we’re not going to even let it get to the shootout.”