🇨🇦 Canada 6-1 Slovakia 🇸🇰
Exhibition Game
Zimný štadión Púchov, Púchov 🇸🇰
Thursday, 20 December 2007

Two games, two wins. It’s a good start for Canada’s National Junior Team on the road to the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Shawn Matthias scored twice and John Tavares added a goal and two helpers as Canada scored a 6-1 win over the Slovakians on Thursday night in front of 1,547 fans at Zimný štadión in Púchov in their second pre-tournament game.

Just as they had three nights earlier in their pre-tournament opener against Red Bull Salzburg, the Canadians got on the board early, as Matthias finished off a two-on-one with Steven Stamkos just 70 seconds after the opening face-off.

Another Mississauga native made it 2-0 past the seven-minute mark, as Matt Halischuk was the beneficiary of a good forecheck from Brad Marchand, taking a pass in front and making no mistake for a two-goal lead, which Canada took into the intermission.

Despite holding a 2-0 lead, Canada was actually outshot by the Slovakians in the opening 20 minutes, 9-8, but goaltender Jonathan Bernier kept the hosts off the scoreboard.

Tavares connected on a Canadian powerplay early in the middle frame for a 3-0 lead, taking a pass from P.K. Subban and snapping a shot from the face-off circle that found the five-hole on Slovakian netminder Július Hudáček.

The hosts scored the second period’s only other goal, as a point shot from Adam Beňa hit a Canadian player in front and eluded Bernier on a powerplay, pulling the Slovakians to within two at 3-1 entering the second intermission.

But the three-time defending World Junior gold medalists made sure there would be no comeback, as Matthias, Stefan Legein and Josh Godfrey all put pucks past Slovakian goaltender Tomáš Hiadlovský in the final 20 minutes to provide the final margin for the Canadians.

Bernier finished with 23 saves as Canada held a 38-24 advantage in shots on goal. Canadian head coach Craig Hartsburg has said Steve Mason will get the call between the pipes for Sunday’s pre-tournament finale against Finland in Chrudim, Czech Republic.

Canada opens the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship on Boxing Day, 26 December, when they face the host Czechs in Pardubice.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
01:10 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Matthias (Stamkos)
01:31 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Matthias, hooking
03:47 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Schenn, cross checking
07:07 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Halischuk (Marchand, Hickey)
07:55 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Legein, elbowing
12:31 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Subban, roughing
12:31 – 🇸🇰 PEN – Šinkovič, roughing
14:44 – 🇸🇰 PEN – Roháč, interference

2nd Period
23:27 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Turris, hooking
24:56 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Schenn, 10 min. misconduct
24:56 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Gillies, roughing
24:56 – 🇸🇰 PEN – Marcinko, roughing
26:14 – 🇸🇰 PEN – Konečný, cross checking
26:39 – 🇨🇦 PP GOAL – Tavares (Subban, Hickey)
28:30 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Turris, elbowing
29:49 – 🇨🇦 PEN – team, too many players
30:48 – 🇸🇰 PP GOAL – Beňa (Skokan)
35:13 – 🇸🇰 PEN – Bališ, kneeing
38:24 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Simmonds, slashing
39:15 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Legein, delay of game

3rd Period
40:38 – 🇨🇦 PEN – team, too many players
42:07 – 🇨🇦 SH GOAL – Legein (Giroux)
44:34 – 🇸🇰 PEN – team, too many players
44:46 – 🇨🇦 PP GOAL – Matthias (Godfrey, Tavares)
45:24 – 🇸🇰 PEN – Kozák, tripping double minor
47:22 – 🇨🇦 PP GOAL – Godfrey (Doughty, Tavares)
48:56 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Legein, boarding
50:21 – 🇸🇰 PEN – team, too many players
55:22 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Giroux, charging
59:14 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Gillies, charging minor + 10 min. misconduct

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇨🇦 Bernier (23-24)
L: 🇸🇰 Hudáček (20-23), Hiadlovský (12-15)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇨🇦 8+15+15 = 38
🇸🇰 9+9+6 = 24

ROSTERS
🇨🇦 Goaltenders: Jonathan Bernier, Steve Mason. Defence: Karl Alzner, Drew Doughty, Josh Godfrey, Thomas Hickey, Logan Pyett, Luke Schenn, P.K. Subban. Forwards: Zach Boychuk, Colton Gillies, Claude Giroux, Matthew Halischuk, Riley Holzapfel, Stefan Legein, Brad Marchand, Shawn Matthias, Wayne Simmonds, Steven Stamkos, Brandon Sutter, John Tavares, Kyle Turris.
🇸🇰 Goaltenders: Tomáš Hiadlovský, Július Hudáček. Defence: Milan Bališ, Adam Beňa, Marek Biro, Marek Ďaloga. Michal Kozák, Kristian Krajčík, Juraj Mikuš, Marek Zúkal. Forwards: Erik Čaládi, Matej Češík, Oliver Ďuriš, Dalimir Jančovič, Milan Jurík, Rastislav Konečný, Patrik Lušňák, Tomáš Marcinko, Ivan Roháč, Dávid Skokan, Marek Slovák, Jakub Suja, Július Šinkovič.

Article Credit: Hockey Canada