Hometown Hero Carey Terrance Scores Goal in World Juniors Game at Ed Lumley Arena

A sold-out Ed Lumley Arena just hosted the junior hockey teams of Finland and the United States for a game in the World Juniors pre-tournament.

As the stadium announcer named the starting lineups of both teams, the crowd of 5,000 fans from the area erupted into cheers with the mention of Carey Terrance, an NHL draftee from Akwesasne who has previously played for junior teams in the area such as the Eastern Ontario Wild.

With the start of the first period, both sides were going back and forth, getting offensive opportunities and providing the crowd with a thrilling game. By the halfway point of the first, the only key box-score moment was an unconverted interference penalty committed by Finland. Early on, goaltenders Trey Augustine (USA) and Noa Vali (FIN) were putting on strong performances.

15 minutes into the first, team USA’s captain Ryan Leonard netted a goal, marking the first goal of the game and Leonard’s third goal of the pre-tournament. Shortly after, the period ended with the score at 1-0 and the shots at 9-4 in favour of the United States.

The second period was more exciting, with 20 combined shots on goal by the time the period-end horn sounded as well as each team having a power play opportunity.

5 minutes into the period, America’s Joe Willis scored to make the game 2-0. Shortly after, Drew Fortescue (USA) was called for a holding penalty, a power play that Finland would convert on, bringing them right back into the game. This would not last long, however, as team USA’s Zeev Buium scored just 31 seconds later.

Shortly before the second period’s halfway point, Julius Miettinen (FIN) was called for hooking. After over a minute of non-stop pressure, team USA was finally able to convert on this powerplay with a goal from Austin Burnevik.

As the clock began to tick down to the end of the second period, all eyes were on local Carey Terrance as he received the puck. And with the blink of an eye, Terrance scored to the rapturous applause of a sold-out Ed Lumley arena, making the game 5-1. Then, after 20 minutes of intermission, the stadium announcer got to announce Terrance’s goal at the start of the third. Again – the crowd went absolutely nuts at the mention of his name. The SDG&A area continued to show so much love for this kid from the area.

The start of the third saw USA swap out goaltender Trey Augustine for Hampton Slukynsky and saw Finland swap out goalie Noa Vali for Kim Saarinen.

Four minutes into the period, USA’s Joe Willis got a penalty for tripping, though the team would successfully kill the penalty. Shortly after this penalty’s end, Ryan Leonard (USA) and Kalle Kangas (FIN) received penalties at the same time for roughing and high-sticking, respectively. Again, this 4-on-4 was killed off with no goal.

While killing off a penalty for too many players, team USA accidentally committed a penalty leading to a penalty shot. This shot would be taken by Kaspar Halttunen, one of few players on either team to have already officially inked an NHL deal. Halttunen, appearing calm as ever despite the large deficit facing Finland, skated up to USA’s goalie and slotted the puck right above and past him to make the game 5-2.

Though Finland maintained strong offensive pressure after this goal and controlled the remainder of the game, it seemed too little too late as they were unable to score again as the clock hit zero. With that, the game ended 5-2, the players and fans stood for America’s national anthem, and the players shook hands, ready to meet with each other again on the 29th in group A of the tournament. Though the USA controlled this game, both teams have the talent to steal the whole tournament.

The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship officially kicks off on December 26th.