Team Russia crashed the net, displacing the net and scoring a goal against Sweden on the opening day of the 2022 IIHF World Juniors.

Russia’s Matvei Michkov was crosschecked on his way to the net. He fell to the ice, sliding into Swedish goaltender Jesper Wallstedt and knocking the net off its moorings.  The puck followed behind, sliding across the goal line.

Referees Robert Hennessey (USA) and Kyle Kowalski (Canada) reviewed the play, confirming the goal call on the ice.

 

 

Kowalski announced the official ruling.

“After video review, the call on the ice is a good goal,” said the Canadian official. “The Swedish player knocks the player into the net.”

Rules 25 (Awarded Goals) and 63 (Delaying the Game) support the decision:

25.2. INFRACTIONS – WHEN GOALKEEPER IS ON THE ICE
A goal will be awarded when an attacking Player with “an imminent scoring opportunity”, is “prevented from scoring” as a result of a defending Player or Goalkeeper displacing the Goal Post, either “deliberately or accidentally” and it must be determined that the puck would have entered the Goal between the normal position of the Goal Posts.

63.7. AWARDED GOAL
In the event the Goal Post is displaced, either “deliberately” or “accidentally”, by a defending Player, prior to the puck crossing the Goal Line between the normal position of the goalposts, the Referee may award a goal.

In order to award a goal in this situation, the Goal Post must have been displaced by the actions of a defending Player, the attacking Player must have “an imminent scoring opportunity” prior to the Goal Post being displaced, and it must be determined that the puck would have entered the Goal between the normal position of the Goal Posts.

 

Clearly the puck would have gone in.   It did – right between the proper location of the goal posts – just moments after the net was bumped.

The officials correctly determined that it was the actions of Sweden’s Anton Olsson that caused Michkov to collide with the goaltender and the net.

“The game didn’t turn out the way we had hoped,” Michkov said. “But we will learn from it and be ready to play tomorrow because each game gets more important as the tournament goes on.”

Sweden won the game 6-3.  Russia faces off against Switzerland on Monday, while Sweden will face Slovakia.