It was a bit of the good and a bit of the bad for a pair of Moose Jaw Warriors at the World Under-18 Hockey Championship on Wednesday.
For Denton Mateychuk and Team Canada, it was a far closer game than expected but a win nonetheless as they took a 4-2 victory over Latvia, while Martin Rysavy and the Czech Republic ended up dropping a 6-5 decision to Finland after giving up a pair of late power-play goals.
Matecyhuk who suited up for the Warriors for 16 games in the now-concluded East Division Hub before joining the national team in Frisco, Texas made his first appearance in the tournament and recorded a single shot on goal.
Moose Jaw Warriors prospect Martin Rysavy battles for position with a U.S. defender during the Czech Republic’s 2-1 shootout loss.IIHF.com
The final result might not have been what Martin Rysavy and the Czech Republic wanted at the World Under-18 Hockey Championship, but the news for the bigger picture was still as positive as could be.
The Moose Jaw Warriors prospect scored the lone goal of regulation for his squad against the United States, but the Czechs would go on to drop a 2-1 shootout decision in Frisco, Texas.
Rysavy’s goal came with 4:03 remaining in the first period, taking a feed from Petr Moravec from behind the net and ripping a shot from the top of the crease high glove side on U.S. goaltender Kaiden Mbereko.