Severson’s hunch pays off for Canada
Damon BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA Severson had a funny feeling he’d score in Canada’s quarter-final against Switzerland at the world hockey championship.
“(Thursday) morning, I woke up and I just thought ‘I feel like I’m going to score tonight. I hope I can just get one,’” said the 24-year-old from Melville, Sask.
“I didn’t think it was going to be like that, but luckily enough, I was able to get the tying goal.”
The New Jersey Devils defenceman’s blast from the point trickled through Swiss goaltender Leonardo Genoni with just 0.4 seconds left in the third period, pulling Canada into a 2-2 tie to force overtime.
Then Mark Stone scored his second of the game and seventh of the tournament to win it in overtime, setting up a semifinal against the Czech Republic on Saturday.
“He’s just super clutch for us,” said Severson of Stone, who also assisted on his game-tying marker. “He seems to be coming through in the moments we need him the most. He just does everything so well and he’s a fun guy to be around. It’s been great having him as a teammate so far, and hopefully we can keep on winning with him.”
Thursday’s heart-stopping win sent Canada (7-1) to the semifinals for a fifth straight year. It also exacts a measure of revenge for the semifinal loss to Switzerland in 2018 that led to the Canadians finishing out of the medals for the first time in four years.
Canada is now the only semifinalist to return to the final four this year after the 2018 medallists from Sweden, Switzerland and the United States were all eliminated in quarter-final action on Thursday.
Canada’s roster will get a boost in the semifinal when forward Anthony Mantha returns to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension. Mantha is tied with Stone for Canada’s scoring lead. Both players have seven goals and 12 points.
After Russia takes on Finland in the first semifinal on Saturday, the Canadians are relishing the opportunity to play in front of a boisterous, pro-czech crowd at Ondrej Nepela Arena.
“We played against the Slovaks in their home country in Kosice and we had a pretty wild crowd,” Severson said of Canada’s 6-5 win over the host team. “We’re used to the crazy crowds.
“It’s a lot more fun playing in front of a wild crowd rather than a quiet one, so we’re looking forward to having that in front of us, for sure.”