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World Juniors: Canada gets the best of U.S. in New Year’s Eve showdown

United States v Canada - 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship

MONTREAL, QC - DECEMBER 31: Max Domi #16 of Team Canada scores an empty net goal to secure Team Canada’s win over Team United States in a preliminary round game during the 2015 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships at the Bell Centre on December 31, 2014 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

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They were chanting Max Domi’s name in Montreal. Given his father, well-known tough guy Tie Domi played for the Toronto Maple Leafs during his National Hockey League career, this was something rare.

Domi, a first-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes from the 2013 NHL Draft, scored twice, including the game’s first and last goals as Canada defeated the U.S. by a final score of 5-3 in an entertaining game capped off by a wild, controversial and frantic final few minutes in the third period.

Canada finished with a record of 4-0 in the preliminary round, and finishes atop the Group A standings heading into the medal round.

The big story coming into this game was the highly anticipated match-up of Connor McDavid for Canada against Jack Eichel of the U.S. It was billed as a battle between the two players likely to be the top two picks in next June’s draft. Both tried to steer clear of all the hype, although there was no denying it was one of many focal points in this game.

Eichel and McDavid each recorded an assist. McDavid’s helper came on a controversial goal from Curtis Lazar, who went hard into the crease to knock the loose puck past Canucks’ prospect Thatcher Demko. It was the subject of a lengthy video review, but the call on the ice of a good goal stood.

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