In hockey, the blueprint for victory is straightforward: protect the puck, own the faceoff circle, and force opponents into low-danger shots. Nail those fundamentals and you’re supposed to win more often than not. But on Monday afternoon in Trencín, Slovakia, that script got shredded. Finland entered the 2026 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship game undefeated and chasing first place in Group A. They carried more puck possession through the opening 20 minutes and dominated the draws, yet skated off the ice trailing 0-4. Canada’s first three goals came on a combined expected-goals total of just 0.88—half-chances turned into highlights by sharp finishing and a little fortune. “We had a couple of lucky ones, we can’t complain,” admitted Beckett Hamilton, who scored twice before the first intermission. “But we played a good first and third, and the chances came for us for a good reason.” That early explosion set the tone for a 7-0 masterclass. Hamilton and Mathis Preston each notched a pair, Dima Zhilkin added his tournament-leading fifth goal (fresh off a hat trick two nights earlier), and goaltender Gavin Betts needed only 19 saves for Canada’s third straight shutout to close out the preliminary round. What looked like a mismatch on paper became a statement on the ice.
Adam Valentini makes it 1-0 Canada at 2:08 of the first period. The assists on the goal went to Keaton Verhoeff and Ryan Lin.–After two minutes, Adam Valentini opened the scoring, spotting a chance to shoot early and catching Pyry Lammi off guard in the Finnish net.
Beckett Hamilton makes it 2-0 Canada unassisted at 11:07 of the first period.–The second goal, on 11:07, was a triumph of persistence. Hamilton saw his initial shot go wide but chased it down behind the net. A hopeful play back to the slot struck goal as a deflection took the puck under Lammi’s pad and in.
Penticton, BC native Mathis Preston makes it a 3-0 game for Canada at 16:22 of the first period. The assist on the goal went to Soo Greyhound Callum Croskery.–But Canada kept getting the goals. Preston added a third, taking Callum Croskery’s pass down the left channel and shooting through the corridor of uncertainty created by Valentini’s astute positioning.
Beckett Hamilton scores his second goal of the game to make it 4-0 Canada at 18:21 of the first period. The assist on the goal went to Vancouver native Ryan Lin.–And soon before the intermission, Hamilton potted his second of the game after Finland gave up a turnover in its own zone and Canada pounced to give the Red Deer Rebels forward a shot from tight angle on 18:21.
Shots on goal in the first period were 13-7 for Canada
Shots in the second period were 8-5 for Finland
Mathis Preston gets his second goal of the game to make it 5-0 Canada at 2:59 of the third period. The assists on the goal went to Keaton Verhoeff and Thomas Vandenberg–
Dima Zhilkin makes it 6-0 Canada at 4:58 of the third period. The assist on the goal went to Jean-Christoph Lemieux.
Ryan Lin with a wrap around makes it 7-0 at 8:08 of the third period. The assists on the goal went to Ryder Cali and Alessandro Di Iorio.–The incoming goalie was beaten on 48:08 when Ryan Lin added a seventh.
Shots on goal in the third period were 10-4 for Canada. The Canadians outshot the Finns 30-19 in the game.
Gavin Betts stopped all 19 shots that he faced for the shutout win. That’s his second shutout. For Finland Pyry Lammi made 18 saves on the 24 shots that he faced. He was replaced in the third period by Oskari Ahmajarvi who stopped 5 of the 6 shots he faced.
Canada’s next game is the Quarter Finals on Wednesday
