Carter Hart comes off bench to backstop Canada 5-2 over Sweden to reach final
MONTREAL — Carter Hart was all set to spend a third straight game on the bench when he was suddenly called upon to save Canada’s gold-medal hopes at the world junior hockey championship.
When Connor Ingram gave up two goals on his first three shots, Hart was thrust into the action and stopped all 28 shots he faced as Canada defeated Sweden 5-2 in their semifinal on Wednesday night.
“I was pretty excited and I was pretty lucky that it was early in the game,” said Hart, who began the tournament as Canada’s No. 1 goalie but lost the starting job to Ingram. “My gloves were still sweaty from warmup so I wasn’t too cold going in there.
“It’s really just matters how you prepare before the game. You prepare like you’re playing.”