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When the Canadians faced Greece in the group stage of the tournament, they were pushed to the limit, needing a late goal to force a shootout, where they finally earned two points. This time around, they were determined to get in front early and not have to come from behind.
“We knew it would be a tough one versus Greece,” forward Dylan Kelly said after the game. “We just barely beat them before, and this time we found a way - kept shots to the outside and just made it easy for the goalie to make saves and found a way to put the ball in the net.”
The Canadians came out flying right off the opening face-off. They got a goal from Remi Laurencelle less than three minutes in, and then Kelly made it 2-0 just 19 seconds later.
“We came out flying and got a couple of early ones. We knew they were tired, but they were playing two units of five and we have five lines and all the guys have speed. We just came at them wave after wave and it paid off.”
Not only was Kelly’s goal big for the team, but it was also his first goal of the tournament after getting lots of chances in previous games.
“I’ve worked hard all tournament and been frustrated, haven’t been able to find the back of the net,” he explained. “I just stayed with it, patience pays off, and I got a lucky one to start and that kicked off a lot.”
The goal was set up by older brother Dustin Kelly, who plays on the same line. The brothers have shown good chemistry together all tournament.
“We work well together, but at times we get frustrated with each other, we yell at each other sometimes,” he laughed. “It’s just brotherly love.”
Even more than yelling at his brother, it’s apparent Dylan likes yelling at opponents. It was a chippy game, and obvious that it was the second meeting between Canada and Greece in less than a week. The younger Kelly seemed to thrive in that atmosphere.
“I like to run my mouth,” he admitted. “I’ve been known for that for years now. I walk a thin line but I don’t go over the edge.”
As tough a game as it was, though, the hardest hit Kelly took was from a teammate. Standing in front of the net, he took a slap shot to a rather sensitive area. He quipped: “My D-man caught me where the sun don’t shine.”
But all the bumps and bruises were worth it, as Canada is on to the gold medal game, where they will face the winner of the later semi-final between Slovakia and the host Czech Republic. Both potential opponents are attractive to the Canadians, so Kelly has no preference.
“Whoever we face, we’re really excited. We’d love another chance at the Slovaks, but we’d love to play in front of that crowd with the Czechs. We’re ready for whoever comes.”