Now this is a heads-up play.
With Canada leading the United States by a goal late in their World Juniors opener, the puck went flying over the glass in an errant play by Ty Dellandrea. It was nearly a penalty against Canada, and it would’ve been a potentially pivotal one at that.
But assistant coach André Tourigny caught the puck as it was flying over the glass, which, according to the letter of the law, means Canada avoided going on the PK. They went on to win 6-4 minutes later.
For all of Alexis Lafrenière's heroics throughout, this might just be the play of the game. Given the timing and scoreboard, not to mention the United States’ own hot offense, allowing a power-play could’ve been deadly for the Canadians. Tourigny, who coaches the OHL's Ottawa 67's, made a huge play for Canada with this catch — and what a catch it was!
With a win in the bag, Canada goes on to face Russia next on Saturday. We’d be surprised if Tourigny — or anybody else, for that matter — gets another chance to save the game like this, but at least we can bank on more greatness from Lafrenière.
