All four Columbus prospects were in action on Day One, in what was an exciting opening day to the tournament.
Denmark vs. Sweden
After surprisingly taking the Russians to a shootout the night before, Oliver Bjorkstrand and the Danes came back to earth against Sweden on Day 2 of preliminary play. The Swedes built up a 3-0 lead after the first period, which proved to be too much for Denmark to overcome. The Danes changed goalies to start the second period, but Jacob de la Rose scored just seconds into the frame to put his team up 4-0. Nick Olesen broke the shutout bid less than a minute later, but it was too late. The final score was 5-1 Sweden. Bjorkstrand was named player of the game for Denmark. He and Nikolaj Ehlers were dangerous when on the ice, but there’s not a lot of punch when those players aren’t out there.
Finland vs. Slovakia
In what was the most exciting game of the day, the Slovaks pulled off the upset, beating the defending champion Finns 2-1. The game was tied after the first, but defenseman Matus Holenda scored six minutes into the second period to give his team a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Slovakia goaltender Denis Godla was a rock in net, and was helped out by a handful of posts en route to the upset. The Slovaks did a terrific job of putting their lopsided loss to Canada the night before in the rear-view mirror.
Switzerland vs. Czech Republic
There was a less drastic upset later in the day, when the Swiss took down the Czechs 5-2 thanks to a pair of goals by Nashville pick Kevin Fiala. The score was 2-2 after one, but the Swiss scored three times in the second period to break the game wide open. Switzerland just may be the surprise team in the tournament this year, while the Czechs are now 0-2, sitting in last place in Group B.
Canada vs. Germany
After potting eight goals against the Slovaks, it was thought that Canada could potentially do even more damage against a weak German side, but the latter put up a strong fight, holding the Canadians to two goals for the first 49 minutes. Canada scored twice in the third for a 4-0 final, but the game was much closer than the score indicates. Connor McDavid had his breakout game, scoring a goal and assisting on two others. Eric Comrie had the clean sheet- Canada has yet to be scored on in the tournament. Nic Petan put up three more points, giving him six points in two games, leading the tournament. Dillon Heatherington was solid again in a shutdown role.