06 | January | 2011 | Russkiy Hockey

Host Cities: Buffalo and Niagara Falls, USA
December 26, 2010 – January 5, 2011
RESULT: GOLD MEDAL

With its first world junior championship gold in eight years Russia achieved not only the greatest comeback in the tournament’s history, but also gave one of the greatest demonstrations of willpower and determination in Russian hockey history. The road to beating Canada 5-3 at the Canadian-filled HSBC Arena in Buffalo was anything but smooth. Coach Valeri Bragin’s roster was not among the most talented Russian world junior squads in recent years and the team struggled out of the gate, losing to Canada and Sweden in the first two games. Thanks to the chemistry on Evgeni Kuznetsov’s and Vladimir Tarasenko’s lines, Russia dominated its next two opponents. The medal round was written like a dramatic fairy tale for Russia. In both the quarterfinal against the Finns and the semifinal against the Swedes, Russia was less than two minutes away from losing before tying the game and ultimately winning it in overtime (against Finland) or shootout (against Sweden). The amount of emotion that these comebacks gave to the players transpired into an especially passionate gold-medal final against a confident and heavily-supported Canadian team. The canucks gave it their all in the game’s first two periods, scoring three straight goals on Russia and causing Bragin to pull goalie Dmitri Shikin in favour of Igor Bobkov, who let in six goals in Russia’s first game against Canada. The decision paid off, as this time Bobkov was a wall in net. Early into the third period, Russia scored a pair of goals thirteen seconds apart, completely changing the dynamic of the game. Russia did not stop its speedy assault and gunned three more goals to silence the arena and seal the game’s fate. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Kuznetsov made the tournament’s all-star team, while Bobkov was named Russia’s MVP.

Game 1: Russia 3 – Canada 6
Goals: Kitsyn (Urychev, Orlov), Dvurechenski (Voronin, Orlov), Sobchenko (Tarasenko, Urychev) – Foligno (Leblanc, de Haan), Ellis, Gudbranson (Howden, Couturier), Johansen (Schwartz), Schenn (Kassian, Schwartz), Hamilton (Schenn)
Shots: Russia 27 – Canada 42
Saves: Bobkov 36 – Roy 24
PIM: Russia 10 – Canada 6

Game 2: Sweden 2 – Russia 0
Goals: Lander (Styrman, Cehlin), Fasth (Jarnkrok)
Shots: Sweden 38 – Russia 20
Saves: Lehner 30 – Shikin 36
PIM: Sweden 22 – Russia 8

Game 3: Russia 8 – Norway 2
Goals: Dvurechenski (Voronin, Pivtsakin), Sobchenko (Orlov, Urychev), Tarasenko (Berdyukov, Valuyski), Sobchenko (Tarasenko, Orlov), Kitsyn (Kuznetsov, Orlov), Sergeev (Berezin), Kuznetsov (Dvurechenski), Voronin (Dvurechenski, Berdyukov) – Weberg, Oppoyen (Rosseli Olsen, Andersen)
Shots: Russia 55 – Norway 24
Saves: Shikin 22 – Volden 47
PIM: Russia 12 – Norway 22

Game 4: Czech Republic 3 – Russia 8
Goals: Orsava (Hlinka, Holik), Straka (Nestrasil, Jerabek), Hlinka (Frk) – Orlov (Tarasenko, Sobchenko), Kuznetsov (Burdasov, Dvurechenski), Golubev (Tarasenko, Panarin), Tarasenko (Orlov, Sobchenko), Berdyukov (Kitsyn, Kuznetsov), Sobchenko (Tarasenko, Orlov), Panarin (Golubev, Bocharov), Kitsyn (Kuznetsov, Berezin)
Shots: Czech Republic 34 – Russia 29
Saves: Novotny/Mazanec 21 – Shikin 31
PIM: Czech Republic 18 – Russia 36

Quarterfinal: Finland 3 – Russia 4 (OT)
Goals: Pulkkinen (Pakarinen), Junttila (Salomaki), Donskoi (Pulkkinen, Vatanen) – Urychev (Sobchenko, Tarasenko), Kuznetsov (Kitsyn), Kitsyn (Kuznetsov, Kalinin), Kuznetsov (Kitsyn)
Shots: Finland 37 – Russia 45
Saves: Ortio 41 – Shikin 34
PIM: Finland 10 – Russia 12

Semifinal: Sweden 3 – Russia 4 (SO)
Goals: Larsson (Rakell, Thornberg), Jarnkrok (Fasth, Larsson), Cehlin (Larsson) – Tarasenko (Valuyski), Golubev (Bocharov, Panarin), Kalinin (Kitsyn, Orlov)
Shots: Sweden 49 – Russia 32
Saves: Lehner 28 – Shikin (46)
PIM: Sweden 6 – Russia 8

Final: Canada 3 – Russia 5
Goals: Ellis (Schenn, de Haan), Ashton (Leblanc), Schenn (Foligno) – Panarin (Golubev, Berezin), Kitsyn (Kuznetsov, Kalinin), Tarasenko (Kuznetsov), Panarin (Tarasenko, Golubev), Dvurechenski (Kuznetsov)
Shots: Canada 38 – Russia 27
Saves: Visentin 22 – Shikin 15/18, Bobkov 20/20
PIM: Canada 4 – Russia 8

Roster:

Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
D #2 Nikita Zaytsev	6	0	0	0	0
D #3 Nikita Pivtsakin	7	0	1	1	2
D #5 Maxim Berezin	7	0	3	3	8
D #6 Georgi Berdyukov	7	1	2	3	4
D #9 Dmitri Orlov	7	1	8	9	6
D #12 Yuri Urychev	7	1	3	4	4
D #23 Maxim Ignatovich	7	0	1	1	0
D #26 Andrei Sergeev	7	1	0	1	6
F #7 Anton Burdasov	7	0	1	1	6
F #8 Semyon Valuyski	7	0	2	2	4
F #10 Vladimir Tarasenko	7	4	7	11	0
F #13 Maxim Kitsyn	7	5	4	9	0
F #14 Daniil Sobchenko	7	4	3	7	4
F #15 Artyom Voronin	7	1	2	3	10
F #17 Nikita Dvurechenski	7	3	3	6	18
F #18 Stanislav Bocharov	7	0	2	2	2
F #21 Sergei Kalinin	7	1	2	3	4
F #25 Evgeni Kuznetsov	7	4	7	11	4
F #27 Artemi Panarin	7	3	2	5	4
F #28 Denis Golubev	7	3	3	6	6
Goaltender	GP	W	L	GAA	Save %	SO
G #20 Dmitri Shikin	6	3	1	2.81	92.0	0
G #30 Igor Bobkov	2	1	1	3.85	90.3	0