Vancouver Canucks prospect Tom Willander won't be playing for gold at the 2025 World Junior Championship after Sweden's heartbreaking loss to Finland in the semifinals. The worst part is that Willander could only look on from the penalty box as the game-winning goal was scored.
It was a hard-fought game between the two Nordic rivals but it was marred by one of the worst penalty calls you'll ever see at any level, let alone in overtime of a medal-round game in an international tournament. The game shouldn't have ended in such a controversial fashion, as it was shaping up to be a classic.
After a cagey first period where neither team could find the back of the net, they traded goals in the second period, with Finland coming out on top 3-2 after outshooting Sweden 20-to-10 in the middle frame. Sweden's Otto Stenberg opened the scoring with a perfect snipe on a 2-on-1, then Emil Hemming responded just a second after a power play ended for Finland.
After another Finnish goal was overturned on a coach's challenge for offside, Finland took the lead on a proper power play goal, the first lead given up by Sweden all tournament. Willander was on the ice for that goal, unable to get back to disrupt Jesse Kiiskanen before he could tap-in a deflected shot that landed on his stick.
After Stenberg tied the game 2-2 on a Swedish power play, Willander was again on the ice for a goal against, though it was hardly his fault. After he stepped up at the blueline, his defence partner Theo Lindstein and forward David Edstrom both allowed Arttu Alasiurua to drive to the net behind him to shovel in the puck.
The two goals against were not reflective of how well Willander played. He played a whopping 29:17 in the game, just a minute behind Axel Sandin-Pellikka for the most in the game. The puck was rarely in the defensive zone when he was on the ice, as he was adept at killing plays along the boards and eliminating rushes, then quickly turning the puck back up ice in transition.
Sweden completely took over the game in the third period, outshooting Finland 20-to-3, with three of those shots coming off Willander's stick. It was another defenceman, however, who got the tying goal midway through the period, as Wilhelm Hallquisth snuck a wristshot through Finnish goaltender Petteri Rimpinen past a screen.
That sent the game to overtime, where Sweden controlled the puck for the majority of the time but couldn't find a goal, not even on a 4-on-3 power play. While Willander quarterbacked the power play all tournament, with Sandin-Pellikka as a shooter on the left side, it was Sandin-Pellikka as the lone defenceman at 4-on-3.
You could argue that Sweden's inability to capitalize on the power play cost them the game but the penalty call on Willander to give Finland a power play later in overtime would argue back pretty strongly.
Willander did nothing more than shove his man off the puck in a battle. Inexplicably, this was called holding.
Finland took advantage of the brutal call. Benjamin Rautiainen caught Swedish goaltender Melker Thelin off-guard with a bad-angle shot that snuck under his pad.
The penalty and the fact that it proved so consequential was emblematic of what has been a very poorly officiated tournament. Bad penalty calls and brutal missed calls have been one of the stories throughout the tournament. This particular call only shines a spotlight on what has been happening all along.
It's frustrating for fans but it's worse for the players — 18 and 19-year-olds, many of whom may never get a chance to represent their country again, who have to deal with inexplicable decisions by the referees, some of which might crush their dreams.
With the 4-3 win, Finland will go on to the gold medal game, where they'll face the winner of the other semifinal between USA and Czechia. Willander and Sweden will play for bronze against the loser of that game.
