Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team closed out an unbeaten pre-tournament schedule ahead of the 2019 IIHF U18 World Championship with a 5-4 win over Russia on Monday.
Highlights:
- Dylan Cozens (Whitehorse, Y.T./Lethbridge, WHL) and Dylan Holloway (Bragg Creek, Alta./Okotoks, AJHL) scored two goals apiece.
- Brayden Tracey (Calgary, Alta./Moose Jaw, WHL) had the other Canadian goal.
- Captain Peyton Krebs (Okotoks, Alta./Winnipeg, WHL) recorded two assists.
- Taylor Gauthier (Calgary, Alta./Prince George, WHL) turned away 32 shots.
Next game:
Canada vs. Finland – Thursday, April 18 (1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT)
Quotes:
“I thought we played an all-around good game. It was really good to play one of the best teams in the tournament in exhibition, see what the competition is all about. I thought we handled it very well, and played as a team for the full 60 minutes.”
– Holloway on the play of the Canadians
“Any time we’re playing against the Russians, there’s obviously a rivalry there that goes way back, so even though it was an exhibition game we were excited to play against them. We came out strong and we were able to hold the lead and get the win, and we hope to carry that into the preliminary round.”
– Cozens on the win today and moving forward
“We felt as a team we needed more energy and passion than yesterday, and nothing brings that out more than a game against Russia. It had a totally different vibe and the energy was contagious. We also learned that penalties can quickly get you chasing the game and we will need to address this before Thursday. The pre-tournament games were exactly what we were looking for in terms of preparation and we are now ready to get the tournament started.”
– Head coach Brett Gibson (Gananoque, Ont./Queen’s University, OUA) on moving into the preliminary round
