Moncton, NB – In the first of three practice rounds before the men’s World Youth Hockey Championships opener next week, Canada beat Switzerland 6-0 at Center Avenir on Monday.
Shane Wright led Canada’s offense with two goals and an assist. Singles have been added by Joshua Roy, Nathan Gaucher, Olene Zellweger, and Brennan Osman.
Connor Bedard had three assists, while Zach Dean and Dylan Gunter had two. Tomas Milic scored the knockout.
Canada led 2-0 after the first half and 5-0 after 40 minutes. Switzerland led 42-19.
Canada went 2-for-5 on the power play, while Switzerland was 0-for-3.
“(Dean, Gaucher and Roy) set the tone for us,” Canada coach Dennis Williams said. They crushed their opponents, worked together and fed each other. (Chemistry training) It’s never a problem when you attend an event like this.
“Everyone is from all over the country and from different leagues, but we are all here for a common goal. It is one team, one country, and you can see a lot of that chemistry on all our lines tonight.”
Milik credits Moncton’s run for creating extra energy in the show.
“The crowd was amazing tonight. They did a great job cheering us on and keeping the momentum in our favour. There were a lot of marks all over the glass during our warm-ups and whenever I got a chance I tried to get in the air. It’s good to have that Level of performance.” Pre-tournament match support.
Canada will complete its exhibition schedule with Slovakia on Wednesday and Finland on Friday. Canada’s first match in the Junior World Championship is against the Czech Republic on Boxing Day in Halifax, NS.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on December 19, 2022.
