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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.