In spectacular and dramatic overtime, Macklin Celebrini showed a superb individual maneuver to give Canada the bronze medal at the IIHF World Under-18. The Maple Leaf won 4-3 and returned to the podium after finishing 5th in last year’s competition.

It is Canada’s ninth medal in history at the tournament.

After not falling behind in the game, Canada saw the Slovaks take the lead in the third period with less than five minutes to go. Determined, Canada was able to force overtime and win.

The extra time made for spectacular games on both sides. Canadian starting goalie Gabriel D’Aigle of Quebec excelled in overtime with several key saves. He blocked 26 of 29 shots aimed at him.

Celebrini finished the game with two goals and an assist, while draft nominee Matthew Wood was an important assist with points for each of Canada’s four goals.

“This win means everything to us,” said Celebrini. It’s not the color we wanted, but we showed character throughout the game and found a way to win. I am very proud of this team. »

The first period was all about goalkeeper Samuel Urban, who stopped all 16 shots for Canada in the first period to keep Slovakia in the game.

Eventually, Canada eluded Urban’s vigilance mid-game by losing control. 16-year-old forward Macklin Celebrini fired an excellent shot from the slot to put Canada ahead and open the scoring.

However, Slovakia offered the answer late in the middle period. With just over a minute to go, Dalibor Dvorsky capitalized on the power play to score with a perfect wrist shot and level the game.

While everything pointed to a draw after 40 minutes of play, Canada decided differently. With 13 seconds left, Colby Barlow took advantage of a Canadian counterattack to fire a good shot from the top of the slot and restore Canada’s lead.

But once again Slovakia rolled up its sleeves. This time, as soon as the dressing room returned for the third period, D’Aigle was caught off guard by a slap shot from Peter Cisar that allowed the Slovaks to level the game 2–2.

Slovakia’s intransigence paid off at the end of the third period. With less than five minutes to go, Daniel Jencko fired a wrist shot that deflected defender Lukas Dragicevic’s racquet and Slovakia took the lead for the first time in the game.

Desperate, Canada managed to pull one last rabbit out of the hat late in the game to send everyone into overtime. After a couple of missed chances and with several players at the net, Matthew Wood was forgotten at the top of the slot and he leveled the game with a good wrist shot following a pass from Andrew Cristall.

Juraj Pekarcik then managed an escape in extra time but failed to give Slovakia victory and missed the goal against D’Aigle. Canada also missed a good chance to score a few seconds later when outnumbered. Celebrini finally played the heroes.

16-year-old Celebrini finished the event with 15 points, tying with Tyson Jost (2016) for the highest score by a Canadian in a single tournament.

“He had some special 16-year-olds in this tournament and Macklin is no exception,” said Canada head coach Jeff Truitt. He is a dynamic player who wants to be in the spotlight. »

United States comeback in gold

The United States made an unlikely comeback against Sweden with a 3-2 win in extra time on Sunday afternoon and clinched gold at the U18 World Cup.

Ryan Leonard played heroes in overtime after USA went 57 seconds short-handed after a Will Smith penalty. Less than two minutes later, the Americans launched an attack that ended with Leonard’s goal that surprised Noah Erliden on the glove side, cutting in the middle at the level of the faceoff circle.

The Swedes appeared to hold the keys to their fate as just over ten minutes remained in the third period. Those who beat Canada in the semifinals led 2-0 when Danny Nelson halved the deficit with 10 minutes and 16 seconds left. Carey Terrance then put everyone back in first place when his throw from the left circle on the power play hit the back of the net.

Sweden had built up a two-goal lead thanks to a goal in each of the first two halves. Elliot Stahlberg and Noel Nordh were the respective authors.

It’s the first time since 2017 that the United States has climbed to the top step of the tournament podium. They conceded a defeat against Sweden last year.

Both countries had won their previous six games during the tournament, including the playoff games. They finished first in Group A and Group B.