Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

After second loss of World Juniors, Canadians call themselves ‘major underdogs’ against host Finns

Team Canada v Team Slovakia

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 4: Joe Hicketts #2 of Team Canada skates with the puck against Team Slovakia during a semi-final game at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship at the Air Canada Centre on January 4, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Team Canada defeated Team Slovakia 5-1 to advance to the gold medal final. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Getty Images

The defending gold-medalists from Canada lost their second game in group play today at the 2016 World Juniors in Finland, falling 5-2 to Sweden.

It marked the first time the Canadians had dropped two group games since 1998. That was the year they had their worst finish ever at the tournament -- eighth out of 10 -- losing in shocking fashion to Kazakhstan in the seventh-place contest.

Canada, which entered this year’s tournament as the bookmaker’s favorite, will face host Finland in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

The Finns won three times and lost once (to Russia) in the group stage.

“We’re major underdogs,” Canadian defenseman Joe Hicketts told reporters. “We come in and Finland is one of the top teams in the tournament.”

JuniorsBracket