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.
It was a light schedule for the U18s on day three with Canada playing Latvia and Finland taking on the Czech Republic. In predictable fashion, Canada handled its business beating the Latvian team 4-2 but was it ever close as the Canadians avoid the scare. The Finns and Czechs played another back and forth game as Group B, the ‘Group of Death’, continues to be stressful for all involved!
Canada 4-2 Latvia
Shortly before puck drop, the Canadian team announced that they would be without captain Shane Wright and defender Corson Ceulemans for non-COVID-related precautionary reasons. With a game against an undermanned Latvian squad, the Canadians should have had no issues. Well, I did say