Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images
Team Canada goaltender Carter George recorded his second shutout in two games at the world juniors in Ottawa – and he almost lit the lamp.
George stopped 18 shots against Team Germany to help the Canadians recover from a loss to Latvia by winning 3-0 Sunday night. That puts them in a tie in points with Team USA, with the two national men’s U-20 teams set to face off on New Year’s Eve.
After Latvia’s massive upset win against Canada, the Canadians needed a strong performance from George after only leading 1-0 against Germany from the midway point of the first period to five minutes left in the third. That was when a shot by defenseman Caden Price bounced off the back boards, off German goaltender Nico Pertuch and in the net to make it 2-0.
Germany pulled Pertuch for the empty net with just over three minutes left in regulation. That’s when George found an opportunity in front of 18,526 fans in attendance.
The 18-year-old caught a shot, dropped the puck to the ice and launched it for the goalie goal attempt. Teammate Tanner Molendyk helped make a lane for George to give it a shot.
It had enough speed, making it past the opposing goal line. But the puck trickled to the left side of the goal, leading to an icing call.
“I saw a two-goal lead, three minutes left, and I looked up right away. I wanted to go for it,” George told TSN’s Kenzie Lalonde after the game. “Yeah, it was pretty close.”
In the final seconds of the game, George picked up the puck behind the net. Instead of trying to score again, he shot the puck along the boards to Canadian forward Mathieu Cataford. The 2023-24 QMJHL MVP also tried a long-range empty-net goal, and this time, it was successful.
That left George with an assist and back-to-back shutouts – he stopped 31 shots against Finland on Dec. 26 in Canada’s 4-0 win. He was named Canada’s player of the game for the second time as well.
Related: World Juniors: Sandin-Pellikka, Hagens, Canada’s Youth Make Excellent First Impressions
George is the only goalie so far in this year’s world juniors to record one shutout – let alone two. The Los Angeles Kings prospect, selected 57th overall in the 2024 NHL draft, has a .905 save percentage and 3.49 goals-against average for the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack this season.
Canada and the USA each have seven points in Group A. They’ll face off at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday for the chance to win the group heading into the quarterfinals.
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