The stage was set last Sunday night for another Canada-Russia showdown in an international hockey competition. The two rivals were battling for gold at the 2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship.

The deafening crowd drowned out the rink announcer when the 17- to 19-year-old Canadian players took the ice to start the match with the Russians. 13,000-plus fans crammed every inch of the Metro Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia to get a good look at the impending sortie.

Canada made their way to the gold medal game with a 3-2 victory over the United States in the semi-finals. The game was too close for comfort, as Canada overcame a 2-1 deficit late in the second to squeak out a one-goal victory. In the other semi-final, the Russians handed the Finns a 4-1 loss to earn a spot in the final.

The game started at a feverish pitch, with both teams possessing more nervous energy than they knew what to do with. Andrei Taratukhin converted his adrenaline into a goal for the Russians at 11:17 as Canada was caught running around in their own zone. That lead was short-lived, however, as Pierre-Alex Parenteau tied the game for Canada at 12:01 by deflecting an Ian White slapshot past Russian goalie Andrei Medvedev.

Scottie Upshall scored on the power play at 16:22 to give Canada a 2-1 advantage (their first lead of the game). The frame also saw forward Jordan Tootoo throw some devastating bodychecks, as he had done all tournament, and some acrobatic saves from netminder Marc-Andre Fleury to keep the Russians off the scoreboard.

Canada was outplayed in the third period. The Russians put two pucks past Fleury: Igor Grigorenko scored at 4:23 to tie the game and Yuri Trubachev tallied at 11:09 to give the Russians a 3-2 lead. This was a lead they would not relinquish, as the Russians successfully defended their title as top junior team in the world. This was Russia’s second straight gold medal at the World Juniors, and their fifteenth overall.

“The Russian top end was simply better than the Canadian top end,” said Bob Mackenzie of TSN. “The Canadian team was more about balance and depth, while from midway through the third period on the Russians basically played their top two lines.”

Fellow TSN analyst Pierre McGuire said the Russian team was made incredibly strong by “the defensive presence of Denis Grebeshkov and Fedor Tyutin, who were so strong on the puck,” but added, “I really liked the resiliency of this Canadian team, especially Marc-Andre Fleury.”

While the Russian team celebrated, dejection and disappointment were on the faces of Canadian players, coaches and fans alike. The Canadian team comes away from the tournament with a silver medal, an accomplishment every Canadian player, coach and fan should be extremely proud of.

“I was really proud of them. They left everything on the ice,” remarked Canadian head coach Marc Habscheid to TSN’s Gord Millar after the game. “I just feel for the guys right now, ’cause losing silver isn’t fun. We wish we could have got a different colour medal, but it wasn’t to be.”

Defenceman Brendan Bell tried to take some positives out of the loss: “I am so proud to be a member of this team. It was such a great opportunity to play in this tournament. We can’t dwell on the negatives.”

The loyal Halifax crowd gave the Canadian players a thunderous ovation after the game to show their appreciation for the team’s effort. Team Canada returned the gesture before they left the ice to show their gratitude for the hospitality and support the fans had given them throughout the tournament.

Canada will have its next chance to capture World Junior gold in 2004 when Helsinki, Finland will host the tournament.