8-0 after first period! Canada dominated U20 gold-medal game

The anticipated battle for U20 gold quickly turned into a one-sided affair as Canada scored six goals in six minutes of play. It all started with Connor Roulette's rebound, followed shortly by a great shot from the slot by Jaden Dyke, and a successful wrap-around goal by Max Donohoe. In the six-minute horror show, the Slovak defense failed to cover Dawson Pasternak's rush as well as a quick counter-attack with Damian Laundry finishing the play. Even after the goalie change, the Canadian freight train didn't slow down as Wylie Birkett added Canada's sixth. Canada managed to score two more goals before the end of the first fifteen minutes. After Dawson Pasternak's goal, Connor Roulette showcased a beautiful lacrosse-style goal for the highlight reels! The Canadian captain then completed the hat trick early in the second period. With 9-0 score, it was time for the Slovaks to strike too, and they put three in the Canadian goal with Christián Badalov netting two. In the last minute, Dawson Pasternak ended the bombardment with Canada's tenth strike, setting the final score of a very lopsided gold-medal game to 10-3.

Home Credit Arena

10-3

(8:0, 1:2, 1:1)

Canada U20 - Slovakia U20

Penalties

1:8

PPG

3:0

SHG

0:1

Shots on goal

34:21

Goals and assists

3. Roulette (Friesen, Pasternak), 4. Dyke (Hiscock), 5. Donohoe (Birkett), 5. Pasternak (Neill, Teasdale), 6. Laundry (Weihs), 7. Birkett (Rawji, Donohoe), 14. Pasternak (Hiscock), 15. Roulette (Pasternak), 19. Roulette (Friesen, Pasternak), 45. Pasternak (Roulette, Neill) – 25. Knapík (Gríger), 27. Badalov (Danielčák), 40. Badalov (Gríger, Gugh)

Referees

David Gráca, Jakub Musil

Official game sheet

Canada U20

Gennaro – Neill, Teasdale, Janus, Stepputat, Duggan, McGuire, Ewonus, Zwarich – Pasternak, Friesen, Roulette – Rawji, Birkett, Donohoe – Fontaine, Dyke, Hiscock – Osborne, Laundry, Weihs

Slovakia U20

Borovský (5. Kundrát) – Mešár, Tulaev, Rábek, Dvořák, Šulík, Knapík, Šarluška, Mišák – Balát, Sakal, Siakel’ – Šatka, Bartakovics, Danielčák – Badalov, Král, Gríger – Brejčák, Gugh, Lipták

COACHES´ REACTIONS

Paul Kastes (CAN): „We had a very well-assembled team, the players fulfilled their roles, and I'm very proud of them. They are young and creative players with great potential. I'm happy that the guys didn't let up in any of the matches, and we could enjoy first place.“

Michal Salajka (SVK): „Evaluating the final is not that simple. We let the first period slip away, Canada started capitalizing on power plays and quickly scored three, four goals, which probably decided it from the beginning. However, I must note that we were able to push back from the halfway point of the game. I dare say that we were even the better team in the last period because we won in terms of goals. We have to congratulate Canada.“