World Juniors: Czechia forfeits game versus Finland after player tests positive for COVID-19
CTV
The two teams were slated to play at Rogers Place in Edmonton at noon MT. It's the second COVID-19 forfeit in as many days at the World Juniors.
A second World Juniors game has been forfeited due to COVID-19 after a Czechia player tested positive the night before his team was scheduled to play Finland.
The two teams were slated to play at Rogers Place in Edmonton at noon MT.
“It was surprising news for me, because all our players and members of the implementation team followed the organizers’ regulations and respect the tournament bubble,” head coach Karel Mlejnek told Czech media.
The game is recorded as a 1-0 Finland victory, as per International Ice Hockey Federation rules.
“The team’s quarantine status will be further evaluated to determine whether it will be able to compete in its final preliminary round game, scheduled for 30 December against Austria,” reads a statement from the IIHF.
The forfeit moves Finland into first place in the group with nine points. The Czechs would finish bottom of the group if they cannot clear COVID-19 protocols before Thursday’s game.
The IIHF announced it was expanding the tournament field and cancelling the relegation round playoff this year due to COVID-19 concerns.
