Yahoo Sports Canada's Tournament Just Went From Bad To Worse; Matthew Schaefer Out For Remainder Of World Junior Championship
The World Junior Championship can be full of surprises. That was the case inside the Canadian Tire Centre as the host nation, Canada, lost 3-2 in a shootout to Latvia.
The story of the game was the performance in between the pipes of Latvia's crease by Linards Feldbergs.
It was an offensive onslaught by Canada, peppering the Latvian netminder with 57 shots in the game. However, Feldbergs was up to the task and put forth a performance that Latvian hockey fans will remember forever. This was the first time Latvia had beaten Canada at the World Junior Championship.
Related: What Canada Fans Can Anticipate From OHL Players At The World Junior Championship
Washington Capitals prospect Eriks Mateiko scored the shootout winner for Latvia after both goaltenders stopped 15 consecutive attempts.
Canada's loss significantly affects their position in the group, which includes stronger teams like the USA and Finland. In order to secure first place in their group, Canada must defeat the USA in regulation on New Year's Eve.
But Canada's tournament went from bad to worse on Saturday morning after finding out that they will be without one of their top defensemen for the rest of the tournament.
Early in the first period, Matthew Schaefer went barrelling through Latvia's net at full speed, sending him to the ice in a heap of pain.
Canada's Matthew Schaefer went down the tunnel after running into the goal at full speed with his shoulder then hitting the boards pic.twitter.com/TJoyQ3Qcui
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) December 28, 2024
His left shoulder took the brunt of the collision and the crowd was silenced hoping that the projected top-three pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft would be okay. Schaefer skated off the ice by himself but noticeably was not moving his left arm a whole lot.
Hockey Canada has announced that defenseman Matthew Schaefer will miss the remainder of the 2025 World Junior Championship after suffering a broken collarbone on the play.
This is a massive blow to Canada's blueline as the 17-year-old from Stoney Creek, Ontario was doing it all for his team. Despite being the youngest skater on their blueline, he was being utilized on the powerplay, penalty kill, and logged over 20 minutes in Canada's opening win against Finland on Boxing Day.
Vancouver Canucks prospect Sawyer Mynio is the next man up for Canada and will slide in the lineup for Canada's next game on Sunday against Germany.
Bookmark The Hockey News OHL site to never miss news, interviews, and any updates around the league.
