OTTAWA — History has devastatingly repeated itself at the world junior hockey championship.
For the second year in a row, Canada has been eliminated in the quarterfinals in a last-minute loss to Czechia.
Ondrej Kos scored on power-play goal off a one-timer with 39 seconds left to spoil a Canadian comeback attempt and give Czechia a 4-3 victory in front of 18,254 disbelieving fans at Canadian Tire Centre.
Czechia now advances to Saturday’s semifinals, Canada’s tournament is over.
The Canadians valiantly fought back from a first period hole when Bradly Nadeau swiped in a rebound of a Luca Pinelli with 4:18 to left in the third to tie the game.
But Canada’s penalty kill was put to its second test in the second half of the third period when Andrew Gibson was called for kneeing with 2:27 left.
The Canadians couldn’t survive the power play it killed when, with just over 10 minutes to go, coach Dave Cameron challenged a goal that was waved off when Mathieu Cataford and a Czechia defender crashed into goalie Michael Hrabal, and was called for a delay of game penalty that was survived.
Trying to get back in the game after an event-filled first period that put them in a 3-1 hole, the Canadians had trouble breaking through the Czechia defensive setup to get into the zone for most of the second period.
They finally got the break they needed when Eduard Sale tripped Berkly Catton just inside the Czechia blue line with a little over three minutes left in the period.
Canada made good with its third power play of the night when Tanner Molendyk blasted a shot toward the net that Porter Martone deflected behind goalie Michael Hrabal.
Martone, considered a top pick for next June’s NHL draft, was a healthy scratch for the US game after seeing limited time Latvia.
It took Czechia just 43 seconds to quiet the crowd with a goal by Petr Sikora, who capitalized on some shoddy defensive play.
The Czechs had a chance to put some extra padding on that lead when Cole Beaudoin received a kneeing major and game misconduct on what could be argued was a clean open ice hit.
Canada rallied with a shorthanded effort, however, when Brayden Yager jumped up for a breakaway and, after being stopped, had the wherewithal to collect the rebound and pass out front to Tanner Howe for a successful finish.
Canada allowed only one shot on goal during the Beaudoin major, and it wasn’t even a shot on goal.
Instead, a wide attempt by Jakub Stancl hit the backboards and, as Sam Dickinson tried to swipe the puck from bouncing out front, it went off his glove and into the open side.
If Stancl’s name sounds familiar, it should.
He scored the goal that knocked Canada out of the quarterfinals last year with a shot that went in off the stick of Oliver Bonk, Dickinson’s London Knights teammate.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Czechia pulled ahead 3-1 with two seconds left in the first period on a goal by Sale off a 2-on-1 rush.
The Czechs outshot Canada 14-9 in the opening period.
Carson Rehkopf was Canada’s scratch.