Janus, Slovakia fall short of bronze
Erie Otters goaltender Jaroslav Janus and Slovakia fell short of the bronze medal at the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa, Ontario. Russia scored four goals on 25 shots against Janus in handing Slovakia a 5-2 loss today in the bronze medal game at Scotiabank Place.
“We weren’t thinking about the last time we played Russia,” Janus was quoted as saying on the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Web site, referring to an 8-1 loss in pool play earlier in the tournament. “We knew they were a good team, but we were excited before the game because we knew we had a chance for a medal. Fourth place is very good for us.”
Russia’s Nikita Filatov, the No. 1 pick in the 2008 CHL Import Draft (Sudbury) who now plays in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ organization, scored two goals – his seventh and eighth goals of the tournament – to break open a 2-1 game. He scored with 32 seconds left in the second period to build a 3-1 lead.
He scored again with 8:49 left in the third for a 4-1 lead. Slovakia’s Tomas Tatar moved Slovakia within 4-2 with 2:59 left. But Dmitri Kugryshev’s empty-net goal sealed Russia’s bronze medal and Slovakia’s best finish since earning bronze in 1999.
Janus finished the tournament with a 3-4 record, 3.20 goals-against average and .899 save percentage in seven games. Janus was honored as one of Slovakia’s top three players in the tournament, according to the IIHF. He stopped 188-of-209 shots. The total shots ranked second among goaltenders. Kazakhstan’s Andrei Yankov faced 239 shots in six games.