OSTRAVA, Czech Republic — Akil Thomas scored the winning goal in the final period and Canada rallied from two goals down to beat Russia 4-3 in the final of the world junior hockey championship on Sunday.
Thomas backhanded the puck past goaltender Amir Miftakhov with 3 minutes, 58 seconds left to avenge a 6-0 loss to Russia at their group stage game on December 28, which was the worst loss for Canada in the history of the tournament.
Buffalo Sabres prospect Dylan Cozens, Connor McMichael and captain Barrett Hayton also scored for Canada.
Nikita Alexandrov, Grigori Denisenko and Maxim Sorkin scored for Russia.
Sweden beat Finland 3-2 to take bronze.
Cozens was the Sabres' top draft pick in the 2019 draft. They assigned him to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL before the season began.
Cozens underwent surgery in July following a thumb injury during the Sabres' development camp, but he returned to play in the prospects challenge and three Sabres preseason games.
"We are just very confident that this is the right move for Dylan and his future," Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said in September, when the team made the decision to assign him to Lethbridge. "And I am excited about coaching him again in the near future.
"t's maybe some pain for him at the moment but there's a pace and there's an intensity to a National Hockey League season that we just didn't feel he was quite ready for."
