Canada to face Czechia again in quarterfinals of world junior championship

Canada will play Czechia during the quarterfinals of the world junior hockey championship for the second consecutive year.

The Canadian squad wrapped up round-robin play Tuesday in Ottawa with a 4-1 loss to the United States to finish third in Pool A with seven points.

Canada blanked Finland 4-0 and Germany 3-0 but fell 3-2 in a shocking upset to Latvia in a shootout.

In last season’s tournament, Canada was eliminated during the quarterfinals with a 3-2 loss to Czechia.

Teams cross over pools for Thursday’s quarterfinals. Czechia finished second in Pool B with three wins and nine points.

The defending champion U.S. finished first in Pool A with 10 points and will take on Switzerland, which finished fourth in Pool B with three points.

Pool B leader Sweden (12 points) will take on Latvia (four points) and Finland (eight points) will play Slovakia (five points).

Teams are reseeded for Saturday’s semifinals. Both medal games are slated for Sunday.