Canada Wins Bronze Medal at 2012 IIHF World Junior Championships

It wasn't the when they wanted to hear their anthem, but Team Canada got to stand and sing "Oh Canada" on their blueline at the end of this tournament after all. Canada defeated Finland quite handily 4-0 in the Bronze Medal Game, in a game in which they dominated. Canada outshot Finland 44-27, and 38-18 through the first two periods to build a 3-0 lead.

Quinton Howden scored twice, and the Barrie Colts connection of Tanner Pearson and Mark Schiefle each scored a goal and assisted on each other's marker. Mark Vinsentin got the shutout, as he was able to hold the 3-0 lead in the medal game he played in this year after allowing 5 goals in the gold medal game a year ago in Buffalo. Visentin held the shutout by also stopping a penalty shot from Teemu Pulkkinen, who was chosen by his head coach to take the shot after not being used in their semifinal shootout vs. Sweden.

This is the last time a Canadian crowd will get to cheer on Team Canada on home ice until the 2015 tournament, in a city yet to be announced (supposedly the announcement will take place this summer). The next two years, the tournament heads back to Europe and will take place in Ufa, Russia, before heading to Malmö, Sweden in 2014.

This was the 14th straight year in which Canada takes home a medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship. The last time Canada did not medal, they finished 8th in 1998. Only five times has Canada come home empty handed, and one of those times was due to expulsion (1987).

After the game, the top 3 players for each team in the tournament were named by the IIHF: Mikael Granlund, Joel Armia, and Sami Aittokallio for Finland; Mark Stone, Brett Connolly and Brandon Gormley for Canada.