The following is the game account by Mark Spector in the Edmonton Journal:
 
NO CONTEST
CANADA FILLS NET IN SECOND
 
        They sounded like Luciano Pavarotti judging a Karioke contest.
"Really, you have a lovely voice.  Really..."
        Canada opened its quest for a third straight World Junior Hockey
Championship Boxing Day by beating up a team from Ukraine 7-1, then
picking them up and dusting them off with praise.
        "They did well.  I thought they even took it to us for a few
shifts in a row," said Marty Murray, Canada's player of the game who had
two goals and an assist.
        But for goalie Igor Karpenko, it would have been 15-1.
        Canada outshot their unworthy opponents 59-15, but after burying
them on the ice, they complemented them out of sheer politeness in the
interviews....
        Jeff Friesen stood at the side of the net and banged in a lovely
feed from Allison four minutes into the game...
        But Karpenko slammed the door on a blowout, stopping Canada's
other 15 shots in the first period, including Murray on a breakaway.  It
wasn't until the middle period when he cracked, beaten four times in less
than five minutes by Jamie Rivers, Larry Courville, and Murray
twice...Ryan Smyth [of Red Deer] scored once and had an assist...
        Eric Daze also scored for Canada while Jeff O'Neill had three
assists.  Sergei Chubenko ruined Canadian goalie Jamie Storr's shutout
when he scored in the second period.
END OF ARTICLE
 
        The Journal also reported that the Ukraine team only arrived in
Canada two days ago, financial difficulties preventing them from having
an exhibition schedule.  They certainly are no threat to medal, but may
not be the doormats described here.
 
Arthur Berman  [log in to unmask]
THE MAPLE LEAF FOREVER!!!
GO BU!!!