Down 3-0 after two periods, Igor Bobkov and Team Russia weren’t content to go down as a footnote in the gold-medal game at the World Junior Championships on Wednesday.
Bobkov – a 2009 third-round draft pick by the Ducks and the only Canadian Hockey League player on Russia’s roster – relieved starter Dmitri Shikin with 13:33 left in the middle period and stopped all 20 shots he faced. Bobkov watched his teammates score five unanswered goals in a span of 16:11 of the third period to claim the 5-3 victory and the gold.
Artemi Panarin scored twice, Yevgeni Kuznetsov had three assists, and Vladimir Tarasenko, Nikita Dvurechenski and Maxim Kitsyn all had goals for Russia.
Tournament MVP Brayden Schenn, Ryan Ellis and Carter Ashton had the goals for Canada.
