Team Canada is in the gold medal game of the 2021 World Men’s Hockey Championship in Riga, Latvia. On Saturday, Canada reached the finals following a 4-2 win over the United States.
Three Canadian players had a multi-point game. Calgary Flames left winger Andrew Mangiapane of Bolton, Ontario scored two goals, while Ottawa Senators right winger Connor Brown of Toronto, Ontario and Senators left winger Nick Paul of Mississauga, Ontario had two assists each. The other two Canadian goal scorers were Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Pirri of Toronto, Ontario, and forward Justin Danforth of Oshawa, Ontario, who played this past year with Podolsk Vityaz of the Kontinental Hockey League.
Canada’s opponent in the final on Sunday will be Finland. Finland defeated Germany 2-1 in the other semifinal on Saturday. Finland previously defeated Canada 3-2 in a shootout in Group B play. Finland was in second place in the group with 17 points, while Canada was in fourth place with 10 points.
There is no doubt that Canada and Finland have contrasting styles on the ice. Finland is known more for their defensive structure, while Canada tends to be a little bit more offensive. Trouble for Canada is though, they only have one powerful offensive line, which is their first–Brown, Mangiapane, and Adam Henrique.
