World Juniors: USA forfeits game versus Switzerland after 2 positive COVID-19 tests
Defending World Juniors champion Team USA has forfeited its game against Switzerland scheduled for Tuesday afternoon after two players tested positive for COVID-19.
The game was scheduled for 2:30 p.m. MT in Red Deer. American coach Nate Leaman was slated to hold a media availability on Tuesday morning but it was cancelled shortly before it was scheduled to start.
- World Juniors: 5 positive tests as play gets underway on Boxing Day
- Red Deer rides again as World Juniors host after 27-year absence
- Welcome (back) to Alberta's COVID-19 World Juniors
The International Ice Hockey Federation has said that any game that cannot be made up at a later date will be considered a forfeit. The game will be entered as a 1-0 win for the Swiss and will not be rescheduled.
Team USA will enter quarantine for more testing and contact tracing. The IIHF says the team's quarantine status will be evaluated later to determine if it will be able to play its next games against Sweden on Wednesday and Russia on Friday.
In a statement, general manager John Vanbiesbrouck said the team was "extremely disappointed" in having to forfeit, noting "we're operating in an ever-changing landscape and that's very challenging."
"We've followed the tournament protocol from the outset and will continue to do everything we can to ensure our players have the opportunity to compete."
The American, Russian and Swiss teams all hold 1-1 records with three points each through two games.
The Americans defeated Slovakia 3-2 on Sunday.
The Swiss opened their schedule on Monday with a 4-2 defeat to Russia. The team is without star centre and captain Simon Knak after he tested positive for COVID-19 in the days prior to the tournament.
Team Switzerland is slated to play Slovakia on Thursday and Sweden on Friday.
The fourth-placed team in Group B is likely to face a quarterfinal matchup against one of Canada or Finland.
On Monday, the IIHF announced that this year’s tournament would not have the usual relegation round due to the possibility of COVID-19-caused forfeits.
The tournament has a scheduled off day on New Year’s Day before the quarterfinals begin with all four games scheduled for Jan. 2, 2022.
The IIHF announced five positive tests in the days before the tournament, including Swiss player Knak, Austrian Senna Peeters and an unknown Finnish player. Two game officials also tested positive ahead of the opening game.
Peeters missed his team's game on Monday but is expected to return for Tuesday's night game against Canada in Edmonton.
Last year’s event was played in a bubble, but was still impacted by COVID-19.
A number of Swedish players tested positive in the days before the event, and Team Germany was left with just 14 skaters for its first three games of last year’s tournament, with one player, forward Jakub Borzecki, having to quarantine for the duration of the tournament.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”