Kazakhstan enter this third game without the defender of Swedish origin Svedberg, suspended. The United States have recalled 18-year-old college goaltender Drew Commesso to replace the hapless Anthony Stolarz, who suffered an ankle injury early in the game against Canada. He should arrive in a subtitut role, but in the meantime, it’s a different third goalie who starts, Cal Petersen, who has already supplanted veteran Jonathan Quick in the cage of the Kings of Los Angeles.
Kazakhstan surprised at the start of the tournament by beating on penalties two very well organized teams, Latvia and Finland, who had stayed a bit in the aftermath of a big game. The United States does not want to fall into the same trap and is playing with greater intensity.
The defenders of Kazakhstan are playing too slowly against this American forechecking. Aleksei Maklukhov is thus taken the puck by Eric Robinson who passes from behind the cage for Sasha Chmelevski, but Boyarkin, who lets go of his stick, blocks this shot between glove and pad. It is the most talented line that concludes this strong start. After seven minutes, Trevor Moore entered the zone and his technique in a narrow perimeter attracted no less than four defenders around him. He goes through the gang to Jason Robertson and he serves on the other hand defender Adam Clendening, who has a boulevard in front of him to finish in the top corner (1-0, left image). The Americans continue to fire more and more, but Kazakhstan is defending better and better. Nikita Mikhailis even steals a puck from Clendening to the blue to go 2 against 1. He chooses the shot, blocked by Petersen.
The United States doubled the bet early in the second period, still by their dominant block, playing six on a delayed penalty. Seeking the deviation, Trevor Moore folds too much the shot of the blue Conor Garland which falls almost vertically on the ice and loses its speed … but the puck returns to him after a rebound in a forest of legs and he can then send it from the back in the open cage (2-0). The Americans continue to have big chances, but Kazakhstan is resisting. Defender Ivan Stepanenko folds superbly to counter the puck of the lacrosse on an infiltration of Conor Garland. Eric Robinson takes the puck from Nikita Mikhailis in the neutral zone then dribbles Jesse Blacker one-on-one to take a throw. The puck rolls over the glove and then onto Boyarkin’s boot… but the keeper catches it behind him.
The third period begins like the previous one, with an American goal in the second minute. Jack Drury deflects a close-to-ice throw Ryan Donato’s blue line is deflected by Jack Drury (3-0). Kazakhstan seems to be reducing the score quickly. Akolzin is more active than Wolanin to recover a rebound and propel him from the back… on the post. Igor Petyukhov then concludes facing the wide open cage, but with a clear deliberate movement of the skate, when he would have had plenty of time to touch it with the stick! The goal is obviously refused. The gap being made, the match is then gradually extinguished.
For his first tenure in the world championship (he was third goalkeeper in 2017), Cal Petersen therefore collects a shutout. This is what we will mainly remember in this match without a major event, where everything went normally according to the planned hierarchy. In this unpredictable tournament, this normality is in itself a surprise! But the Americans immediately set a big pace to make sure there was no room for misunderstanding.
Named best players of the game: Curtis Valk for Kazakhstan and Cal Petersen for the United States.
United States – Kazakhstan 3-0 (1-0, 1-0, 1-0)
Tuesday May 25, 2021 at 4:15 p.m. at the Arena Riga. Behind closed doors.
Referees: Antonín Jeřábek and Robin Šír (TCH) assisted by Daniel Hynek (TCH) and Šimon Synek (SVK)
Penalties: United States 4 ′ (0 ′, 4 ′, 0 ′); Kazakhstan 8 ′ (2 ′, 4 ′, 2 ′).
Shots: United States 52 (25, 13, 14); Kazakhstan 18 (8, 4, 6).
Score evolution:
1-0 at 26’54: Ohtamaa assisté de Mäenalanen et Anttila
2-0 à 35’41: Pakarinen assisté de Pokka et Määttä
2-1 to 38’01: Robertson assisted by Wolanin (sup. Num.)
United States
Attackers:
Jason Robertson (+2) – Trevor Moore (+2) – Conor Garland (+2)
Eric Robinson – Kevin Rooney – Sasha Chmelevski (2′)
Matti Beniers (+1) – Jack Drury (+1) – Ryan Donato (+1)
Justin Abdelkader (C) – Colin Blackwell (A) – Kevin Labanc
Brian Boyle
Defenders
Christian Wolanin – Matt Roy (A)
Zac Jones (+2) – Matt Tennyson (+2, 2′)
Matt Hellickson (+1) – Adam Clendening (+1)
Chris Wideman
Guardian:
Cal Petersen
Substitute: Jake Oettinger (L). In reserve: Anthony Stolarz (L, ankle), Drew Commesso (L), Ryan Shea, Connor Mackey (R), Tage Thompson (A).
Kazakhstan
Attackers:
Kirill Panyukov – Dmitri Shevchenko (-2) – Roman Starchenko (C)
Nikita Mikhailis (-1) – Curtis Valk (-1) – Kirill Savitski (-1)
Aleksandr Shin – Arkady Shestyakov – Evgeni Rymarev (-1)
Pavel Akolzin (-2) – Anton Sagadeev (-2, 2 ′) – Alikhan Asetov (A) or Egor Petukhov
Defenders:
Aleksei Maklyukov (2 ′) – Darren Dietz (A, 2 ′)
Valeri Orekhov (2 ′) – Ivan Stepanenko (-1)
Guardian:
Nikita Boyarkin
Remplaçants: Andrei Shutov (G), Samat Daniyar. En réserve: David Eremeev (G), Viktor Svedberg (D, suspendu), Kirill Polokhov (D), Sayan Daniyar, Dmitry Gurkov, Artyom Likhotnikov (A).
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