Canada erupted for five goals in a relentless first period and cruised to a commanding 7-1 victory over Slovakia in Friday’s final World Juniors quarterfinal, punching their ticket to a semifinal showdown with Czechia on Sunday—a gritty rematch of their chaotic 7-5 Boxing Day win. With 14 players chipping in points and seven different goal-scorers lighting the lamp, the Canadians overwhelmed an overmatched Slovak side that had boldly talked upset before the game. Calgary Flames prospect Cole Reschny, who grew up glued to this tournament with his family over Christmas, kickstarted the onslaught and called it “crazy” to now be starring in it, while Porter Martone and others emphasized the importance of that explosive start in knockout hockey. The win pushes Canada’s all-time World Juniors record against Slovakia to an imposing 17-1-0, setting up an intriguing Nordic clash between Sweden and Finland in the other semi as the tournament heats up in pursuit of gold.
Calgary Flames 2025 first rounder Cole Reschny opened up the scoring for the Canadians at 13:58 of the first period. The assists on the goal went to Keaton Verhoeff and Cole Beaudoin. -It all started at 13:58 when goalie Michal Pradel couldn’t handle a Keaton Verhoeff shot. Reschny was right there to knock in the loose puck.
Tij Iginla made it a 2-0 game at 14:42 of the first period with the assist on the goal going to the captain Porter Martone.–Just 44 seconds later, Canada struck again. Tij Iginla wired a shot from the left wing with Pradel deep in his net, giving Jarome’s son plenty of net to work with.
San Jose Shark Michael Misa made it 3-0 Canada at 16:11 of the first period. The assists on the goal went to Calgary Flame Zayne Parekh and Edmonton Oil King Ethan MacKenzie.–Michael Misa beat Pradel with a low shot through traffic. This was also the end of Slovak goalie Michal Pradel’s night.
London Knight Sam O’Reilly makes it a 4-0 Canada game at 17:03 of the first period. The helpers on the goal went to Carson Carels and Caleb Desnoyers.–Canada scored on their first shot on the new ‘tender. This time, it was Sam O’Reilly with a close-in chance that he converted.
Nashville Predators 2025 5th overall pick Brady Martin makes it a 5-0 game for Canada on the Power Play at 19:47 of the first period. The assists on the goal went to Gavin McKenna and Michael Hage.–Then, in the dying seconds, Canada scored on the power play with 12.9 seconds remaining. The players whipped the puck around with impressive speed, and in the end Gavin McKenna found Brady Martin at the back door to make it an even 5-0 as a shell-shocked Slovakian team hurried to the dressing room to re-group.
Shots on goal in the first period were 17-6 for the Canadians
Michigan State’s Porter Martone makes it a 6-0 game for the Canadians at 9:31 of the second period. The assists on the goal went to Keaton Verhoeff and Michael Misa.–Porter Martone took a sweet little pass coming over the blue line from Verhoeff and went in alone, beating Lendak between the pads at 9:31.
Cole Beaudoin makes it a 7-0 Canada game at 10:41 of the second period. The assists on the goal went to Sam O’Reilly and Zayne Parekh.–Just 70 seconds later, the goalie stopped O’Reilly from the doorstep, but Cole Beaudoin was there to knock in the rebound.
Slovakia gets on the board when Sudbury Wolves forward Jan Chovan scores at 16:50 of the second period. The assists on the goal went to Adam Kalman and Wenatchee Wild Dman Michal Kapos.
Shots on goal in the second period were 20-7 for the Canadians
Shots on goal in the third period were 9-6 for the Slovakians. The Canadians outshot the Slovaks 43-22 in the game.
Jack Ivankovic made 21 saves on the 22 shots that he faced for the win for the Canadians. For the Slovaks Michal Pradel made 9 saves on the 12 shots he faced before being replaced by Alan Lendak who made 27 saves on the 31 shots that he faced.
Canadas next game is the semi finals against the Czechs
