Filthy Between-The-Legs OT Winner Lifts Czechia Over Finland In Wild World Juniors Thriller

I don't know how it does it, but the IIHF World Junior Championship always delivers the goods. It's perfect, and the way it straddles New Year's lets you end your hockey year on a high note and start the next one on that same high.

Well, this year, not only did we get an upset in an overtime thriller, it was capped off by one of the filthiest OT winners you'll ever see.

I mean, so filthy you'll be looking for the nearest bottle of Purell afterward.

READ: TEAM CANADA HAS THE MOST INSANE PATH TO THE ICE AT THE WORLD JUNIORS

There were four games on the slate Monday in Minnesota, and all but one saw the teams combine for less than nine goals. That exception was Finland vs. Czechia, which was a 1-1 battle through regulation.

The Czechs are always a team to watch out for, and they opened their tournament with a solid game against the Canadians. Still, I think most people would consider the Finns to be one of the tournament favorites.

So, taking this one into an extra frame is good, but the Czechs wanted more, and 2024 St. Louis Blues first-rounder Adam Jiricek gave it to them.

The Czechs cycled the puck in the Finnish zone, and that opened up a seam right down the center of the ice.

At the same time, Jiricek managed to slip behind the Finnish defense, and Czech center Petr Sikora fed him a great pass.

However, there wasn't much room to work with as Jiricek closed in on Finnish goalie Petteri Rimpinen, but that was no problem because he pulled one of the slickest between-the-legs goals I think I've ever seen.

Ew, ew, ew, ew. Get the Clorox; someone has to do something about that filth.

What a way to cap off a big win, which keeps the Czechs within distance of the Finns for second in Group B with one game each remaining in the group stage.

The Finns will face Canada on New Year's Eve, while the Czechs have a date with a solid Latvian team that should not be taken lightly after they took Canada to overtime earlier in the tournament.