In the marquee matchup on Day 1 of the 2025 World Junior Championship, the host country, Canada, faced Finland. The highly anticipated matchup did not disappoint. Canada ended up edging the Finns 4-0, backed by 31 saves from goaltender Carter George.
Game Recap
The first period saw a fast-paced game that Canada dominated. They came out flying with a ton of energy and generated chances early on, recording eight shots in the first six minutes on Finland netminder Petteri Rimpinen. He was up to the task and kept the score deadlocked as Canada swarmed throughout the period. Scrums were plenty throughout the period as both teams mixed it up a handful of times. The biggest stop by Rimpinen came off a one-time shot attempt by Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan.
The Canadians’ non-stop pressure in the offensive zone was finally rewarded when Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2024 second-round pick Tanner Howe drew a penalty. The power play controlled the puck throughout most of the two minutes, but the Finnish penalty kill positioned itself well to limit any high-danger chances. The game stayed at a 0-0 deadlock until the last minute of the period when 2026 NHL Draft prospect Gavin McKenna took a smooth cross-ice pass from Matthew Schaefer, waited out Rimpinen, and followed his own rebound to put Canada up 1-0 after 20 minutes.
After successfully killing off a rollover penalty early in the second period, Canada returned to the attack and dominated the period. They did not allow a shot on Los Angeles Kings prospect Carter George through almost half the period. The relentless pressure and forecheck continued, eventually leading to Cowan getting on the scoreboard off a Finland turnover at their defensive zone blue line. Cowan took advantage of the space he was given to rip a wrist shot over Rimpinen’s blocker to push the Canadian lead to 2-0. Finland put offensive pressure on George toward the end of the period, getting a shorthand chance from Joona Saarelainen. They also took advantage of a bit of a misplay from George, but he was helped out by San Jose Sharks prospect Sam Dickinson breaking up a play in front of the net. After two periods, the Canadians held a 2-0 lead on the scoreboard and a 29-11 lead in the shot department.
Related: Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
The final 20 minutes were a bit more back-and-forth than the first 40, with both sides getting chances in the offensive zone. The period belonged to George and Rimpinen, who made timely saves to keep the score 2-0 for most of the period. The best opportunity Canada had came early on, with Schaefer showing his willingness to get involved in the offensive rush and getting an in-tight chance that Rimpinen stopped. For Finland, their best chances came on the power play, buzzing around the Canadian net, but they could not get anything behind George. Canada extended their lead with just under five minutes left in the game, with Caden Price making a strong move, jumping in from the point with the puck and making a move around a Finnish player to find Luca Pinelli for a goal at point-blank range in the slot, making the score 3-0. Finland made a strong push in the last couple minutes of the game while on the power play and with an empty net, but a mix of blocked shots and big saves from George withstood the surge. Schafer’s strong game was capped with an empty net goal to close out a 5-0 Canada win.
George made 31 saves in the win, while Rimpinen stopped 37 of the 40 shots he faced for Finland. Both netminders earned Player of the Game honors for their respective teams.
What’s Next
Both teams have quick turnarounds and are playing again tomorrow. The Canadians will take on Latvia in the last game of Day 2, while Finland will have a matchup against Germany.
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