MONCTON, NB – In the first of three tests before the men’s world junior hockey championship opens next week, Canada cruised past Switzerland 6-0 on Monday at the Avenir Center.
Shane Wright paced Canada’s attack with two goals and an assist. Singles were added by Joshua Roy, Nathan Gaucher, Olen Zellweger and Brennan Othmann.
Connor Bedard had three assists, while Zach Dean and Dylan Guenther chipped in with two. Thomas Milic recorded the shutout.
Canada led 2-0 after the first period and 5-0 after 40 minutes. Switzerland was outscored 42-19.
Canada was 2-for-5 on the power play, while Switzerland was 0-for-3.
“(Dean, Gaucher and Roy) set the tone for us,” Canada head coach Dennis Williams said. “They were grinding their opponents, working together and feeding off each other. (Establishing chemistry) is never a problem when you come to an event like this.
“Everybody comes from all over the country and different leagues, but we’re all here for a common goal. It’s one team and one country, and you could see a lot of that chemistry in all of our lines tonight.”
Milic credited the Moncton crowd for creating extra energy in the exhibition tilt.
“The crowd was amazing tonight. They did a great job of cheering us on and keeping the momentum on our side. There were a lot of signs along the glass during warmups, and whenever I got a chance I was trying to grab the atmosphere. It’s nice to have that level of support for a pre-tournament game,” Milic said.
Canada will close out its exhibition schedule by playing Slovakia on Wednesday and Finland on Friday. Canada’s first World Junior game is against the Czech Republic on Christmas Day in Halifax, NS
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on December 19, 2022.