Hockey Canada – Breclav, Czech Republic – Canadian hockey fans are celebrating Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team’s golden performance following a 4-1 victory in the gold-medal game over co-host, Czech Republic, at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup on Saturday.
 
The win marks the red-and-white’s 21^st gold medal in 27 years of summer under-18 competition.
 
“It’s exciting. There are a lot of great teams and a lot of great countries [competing in the tournament], and to come out on top is pretty special,” said head coach Brent Kisio (Lethbridge Hurricanes) of winning the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. “The place was rocking; it was a great atmosphere, and it was a lot of fun [to play the Czech team on its home ice]. We [told the players] to enjoy it; it’s a pretty special experience playing over here, with these fans [who were] awesome. A lot of credit goes to [the fans] for the atmosphere of the game tonight.”
 
The Canadians got on the board in the first with a goal from Jared McIsaac (Halifax Mooseheads) at 16:26. Team captain Joe Veleno (Saint John Sea Dogs) scored what would be the game-winning-goal at 2:19 in the second, while Kevin Bahl (Ottawa 67’s) and Jack McBain (Barrie Colts prospect) – who also marked assists on the first two goals – each potted one for Canada before the final buzzer.
 
“It’s so amazing. I’m so proud to be here with the boys; I’m so happy to be Canadian. I just can’t describe [how it feels],” said goaltender Olivier Rodrigue (Drummondville Voltigeurs) moments after the celebratory team photo on the ice. Rodrigue back-stopped Team Canada in four of its five tournament games, including the final, recording four consecutive victories.
 
The Canadians held the defending champions from the Czech Republic to 19 shots, peppering their goaltender with 46 shots on goal. The full game story and stats can be found at HockeyCanada.ca/Hlinka.
 
21 CHL Players on Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team:
 
Goaltenders:
Alexis Gravel (Halifax Mooseheads)
Olivier Rodrigue (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
 
Defencemen:
Calen Addison (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Kevin Bahl (Ottawa 67’s)
Noah Dobson (Acadie-Bathurst Titan)
Jared McIsaac (Halifax Mooseheads)
Ryan Merkley (Guelph Storm)
Ty Smith (Spokane Chiefs)
Jett Woo (Moose Jaw Warriors)
 
Forwards:
Luka Burzan (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Ty Dellandrea (Flint Firebirds)
Aidan Dudas (Owen Sound Attack)
Nolan Foote (Kelowna Rockets)
Gabriel Fortier (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)
Barrett Hayton (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Anderson MacDonald (Sherbrooke Phoenix)
Serron Noel (Oshawa Generals)
Benoit-Olivier Groulx (Halifax Mooseheads)
Jackson Shepard (Kamloops Blazers)
Akil Thomas (Niagara IceDogs)
Joe Veleno (Saint John Sea Dogs)
 
As announced last November, Canada will take a turn hosting the prestigious summer hockey staple on Canadian ice as Hockey Canada, the Czech Ice Hockey Association, and the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation have struck a multi-year partnership which will see the tournament come to Edmonton in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
 
For more information on Hockey Canada and the Program of Excellence, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter.com/HC_Men.
 
For further information please contact:
 
Lisa Dornan                                                                                    
Director, Communications                       
Hockey Canada                                           
ldornan@hockeycanada.ca                     
 
Paul Krotz
Director, Communications
Canadian / Ontario Hockey League
pkrotz@chl.ca
 
Taylor Rocca
Manager, Communications
Western Hockey League
roccat@whl.ca