World Junior Hockey Championships: quarterfinals.

Today will be presented the quarterfinal matches of the 2008 IIHF world junior hockey championships. This means that a loss from now on means an elimination from the gold medal game.

For the first time since 2002, Canada has to go thru the quarterfinal match. The canadians have kept a 3-1 record, losing their only game to Sweden by the score of 4-3. Canada will face Finland who kept a 2-2 record during the group phase of the competition. Canada's head coach Craig Hartsburg announced that Steve Mason will be in front of the canadian net to face Finland.

The second quarterfinal presented today will oppose Russia (3-1) and the host team, the Czech republic (2-2).

Today's winners will face either the USA (4-0) or Sweden (4-0), both these countries went thru the quarterfinal phase without playing as they both finished in first place of their respective group. They are now waiting to know the identity of their opponent for the semifinals.

(Picture: Steve Mason, Canadian press.)