Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Brock Cripps recorded an assist on a first period power play goal as Team Canada cruised to an 8-1 win over the United States in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup Gold Medal game.
Canada outshot the USA 17-5 in the first period and 45-17 overall. Brock England opened the scoring just 1:24 into the contest before Regina Pats forward Maddox Schultz scored the eventual game winner on the power play.
The Canadians added another power play goal in the last five minutes of the period when Brock England snagged his second of the game, with assists to Cripps and Jaakko Wycisk.
The USA scored their only goal of the game with 1:36 to play in the first period. Gunnar Conboy talled on the power play with assists to Gavin Burcar and Carmeron Minella. However, Canada reasserted their dominance in the second period, outshooting the Americans 15-4 and scoring three times for a 6-1 lead.
“I thought we came out flying and set the tone early,” said Everett Silvertips forward and Team Canada captain Landon DuPont. “Brock [England] got things started, and we kept rolling from there and played hard every shift. We were finding the back of the net and our power play was clicking, so it was a good night for us and something we will remember forever.”
Canada continued to apply pressure in the third, outshooting the Americans 13-8 and scoring two more goals for an 8-1 win.
Canada finished 3/5 on the power play, while Lethbridge Hurricane product Leif Oaten stopped 16 of 17 shots in the Canadian goal.
Mason Courville and Kaeden Tate combined to make 37 saves for the Americans. Tate started the game before being relieved after the second period.
Canadian head coach Ryan Oulahen credited his team for buying into the team goal. “This group will be remembered for playing the Canadian way,” Oulahen said in a press release. “We got better every single day, and tonight was 60 minutes of exactly how you would want to draw things up.”
Canada finished the preliminary round in first place after wins over Switzerland, Slovakia, and Sweden. They then defeated Finland 6-3 in the semi-final to secure a spot in the gold medal game. The medal marks the 31st that Canada has won at the annual summer under-18 tournament, capturing 26 gold medals, three silver and two bronze.
“I am so proud of this group,” Oulahen said. “I know the score says what it says, but I would have been proud if it was a 1-0 game because of how well we played.”
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