Erie Otters goaltender Jaroslav Janus made 46 saves to lead his native Slovakia to a stunning 5-3 quarterfinal win against the United States today in the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa, Ontario. Janus' stellar performance moved Slovakia into the semifinals for the first time since 1999, according to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Web site.
The U.S. outshot Slovakia 49-19, but Janus outdueled goaltender Thomas McCollum, who plays for Guelph, the Otters' Midwest Division rival. Janus stopped U.S. forward Jordan Schroeder on a penalty shot 55 seconds into the game. That save propelled Slovakia to a 3-1 first-period lead. The U.S. rallied within 3-2 on a power-play goal five minutes into the third. But Slovakia scored twice in a six-minute span late in the period to build a 5-2 lead.
Slovakia faces Sweden in the semifinals on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. for a spot in Sunday's gold-medal game. A win would secure Slovakia's first medal since 1999, when the nation won bronze - its only WJC medal as an independent nation, according to the IIHF.