Port Moody’s Adam Tambellini scored twice and added three assists to lead Canada’s men’s hockey team to a 7–2 win over China in a play-in game Tuesday at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Canada will now play Sweden in the quarter-finals scheduled for Wednesday.
Tambellini scored both of his goals in the second period — one of them on a penalty shot awarded after he was hooked while breaking in alone on China’s goalie, Paris O’Brien, who’s from Coquitlam.
Canada led 2–1 after the first period, and 5–2 headed into the third.
Port Moody’s Kent Johnson had an assist on Canada’s fifth goal, by Eric O’Dell.
O’Brien faced Canada for the second straight game.
He was the starter for China’s 5–0 loss to Canada in their preliminary round game on Sunday and he was brought in at the start of the second period of Tuesday’s game after starter Shimisi Jierumi was injured right at the end of the first frame and had to be helped off the ice.
He was later shown on television being wheeled from the National Indoor Stadium on a stretcher.
China, which was captained by former Coquitlam Express forward Brandon Yip, finished the tournament winless in four games.
It was the country’s first entry into the men’s Olympic hockey tournament, with most of its players comprised of North American ex-pats and dual citizens who’ve been toiling for the Kunlun Red Star, Beijing’s pro team that plays in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.
Tambellini now leads all scorers at the tournament with seven points in four games.
Johnson has five points and Coquitlam’s Ben Street, who was held pointless on Tuesday, has a total of two goals and an assist.
