Canada strikes gold at world U18 tourney

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Team Canada is coming home from the 2024 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 World Championship with a gold medal.

Canada’s national squad overcame a 3-2 deficit midway through the third period with three power-play goals en route to a 6-4 triumph over Team United States in Sunday’s gold-medal game in Espoo, Finland.

The win marked another milestone for University of New Brunswick Reds head coach Gardiner MacDougall, whose winning streak was extended as Canada went unbeaten at the world U18 event. Riverview defenceman Spencer Gill also suited up for his country at the tournament.

“We talk about grit and it being the guts of a team. We had needed a lot of guts just to hang in during the second period,” MacDougall said Sunday in a news release from Hockey Canada. “There’s grit, but also resilience, and this team showed unbelievable resilience. We also showed initiative (with the score and the power play in the third) and tenacity is just about staying with it.

“All that shows the grit this group had. If you watched the game, there were times you probably thought there was no hope with this team, but (goaltender) Carter George kept us in it. We pride ourselves that the longer we play, the better we should get, and it all proved true today. That speaks to the character of our group.”

Tij Iginla, the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, buried the game-winning goal at 14:19 in period three. His marker was the third on Canada’s five-minute man advantage after U.S. winger Trevor Connelly received a major penalty and a game misconduct for checking to the head.

Gavin McKenna started Canada’s comeback with his second goal of the game, netting the equalizer at 15:40. Three minutes later, Cole Beaudoin put Canada in the driver’s seat for the first time in the contest.

McKenna also sealed the U.S.’s fate with an empty-netter at 18:42 to complete the hat trick and notch his 10th goal of the tournament, which began April 25.

“Obviously you can’t do it by yourself. I had an unbelievable line and a great team,” McKenna said in the release. “I couldn’t have done it without them, there were so many guys that stepped up when we needed it and it all paid off in the end.

“There was never a doubt in our room. We have built unbelievable friendships that we’ll have for a lifetime. The U.S played really well, but with the penalty – the power play is something we practised all tournament, it came up big today and that was the key to our win.”

Christian Humphreys drew first blood for the U.S. at 19:08 in the opening frame. Ryder Ritchie potted the equalizer for Canada at 5:31 in the second. Cole Eiserman responded for the U.S. on a power play three minutes later while Canada forward Porter Martone was off for high-sticking.

Canada trailed by two before McKenna found the top corner with a backhander that beat U.S. netminder Nick Kempf, cutting the deficit to 3-2.

George was named the best goaltender of the tournament after his 31-save performance in the gold-medal game. He was named to the media all-star team along with McKenna and Martone.

“I have no words for him, Georgie is unbelievable,” McKenna said. “He kept us in it this whole game, honestly. There were times in this tournament where we might not have won, he’s an unbelievable person and player, and the sky is the limit for him.”

Canada beat Sweden, Czechia, Switzerland and Kazakhstan in the round-robin while outscoring their opponents 31-7. Its ticket to the final was punched with a 4-0 shutout of Latvia in the quarterfinals and a 5-4 win in the semifinal over Sweden, which beat Slovakia 4-0 in Sunday’s bronze-medal contest.

Since 2002, Canada has won five gold medals at the world U18 event (2003, 2008, 2013, 2021, and 2024), along with a silver medal (2005) and four bronze medals (2012, 2014, 2015, and 2023).