TRENCIN, SVK – Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team scored the game’s final six goals to down the United States 7-2 in semifinal action Friday and will defend its gold medal at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
- Berkly Catton (Saskatoon, SK/Spokane, WHL) and Maxim Massé (Rimouski, QC/Chicoutimi, LHJMQ) had two goals each; both have scored in every game.
- Porter Martone (Peterborough, ON/Mississauga, OHL), Malcolm Spence (Mississauga, ON/Erie, OHL) and Cole Beaudoin (Kanata, ON/Barrie, OHL) rounded out the scoring.
- Henry Mews (Ottawa, ON/Ottawa, OHL) chipped in with three assists.
- Zayne Parekh (Nobleton, ON/Saginaw, OHL) and Anthony Cristoforo (Woodbridge, ON/Windsor, OHL) had two assists apiece.
- Liam Greentree (Oshawa, ON/Windsor, OHL), Ollie Josephson (Victoria, BC/Red Deer, WHL), Roger McQueen (Saskatoon, SK/Brandon, WHL), Justin Poirier (Valleyfield, QC/Baie-Comeau, LHJMQ) and Ryder Ritchie (Calgary, AB/Prince Albert, WHL) all registered an assist.
- Carter George (Thunder Bay, ON/Owen Sound, OHL) made 22 saves for the win.
Next Game:
Canada vs. Czechia (gold medal game) – Saturday, August 5 (11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT)
TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast the bronze and gold medal games; please check local listings for details.
Quotes:
“Our nervous excitement showed early in the first period. We talked before the game about [the rivalry], I think every kid dreams about playing in the Canada-U.S. matchup, especially with the opportunity to win a gold medal on the line. I liked our second period a lot better; we were able to get into our depth and roll all four lines. Czechia is a good team; they are structured and sound defensively, so we will have to earn our scoring chances tomorrow. The fans are probably going to be crazy; it is going to be a great experience for us to persevere and come out with the victory.”
– Head coach Alan Letang (Renfrew, ON/Sarnia, OHL) on the opportunity to defend gold.
“I think it was a great effort from our power-play unit tonight. [Cristoforo] made a good pass and I tried to put the puck on the net, and it just went in. Everybody took care of their responsibility out there. [Playing for gold] means a lot. Since we were young, we have dreamed of this moment. We have to focus on the little details, and everyone will bring their A-game so we can get that gold medal.”
– Massé on finding success on the power play.
“We came together as a group today. We had some nerves going into the first period but we battled back, stuck to our special teams system and played some hard-work hockey. As a kid you always dream of playing against the United States, and now to be here is an awesome feeling. I don’t think we realized how big the rivalry is; once we got on the ice you can tell both teams do not like each other. We are happy to be a part of the rivalry and happy to come out on the other side with a win.”
– Spence on playing against the rival United States.
For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.
– 30 –
For further information or to be removed from the media contact list, please contact:
Jacob Wolfenden
Coordinator, Communications
Hockey Canada
289.880.2469