Both teams are 0 and 2 in the tournament prior to tonights match up. Canada West changed the lines a bit tonight. With Canada waxing Slovakia the Slovaks have yet to win a game in the tournament and with their next game against Sweden those odds are looking bleaker.
Alex Dimitriadis hit a Slovaki huge at 17:30 which resulted in a 2 minute penalty for him.
Michigan Tech commit Rylan Brown scored the first goal of the game to make it 1-0 with his teammate in Okotoks Jack Silverberg at 11;11 of the first period.
Then Slovakia got a strange bounce of a goal at 15:11 of the first period scored by Shreveport Mud Bug Andrej Paricka. Assist on the goal went to Moose Jaw Warrior Andrej Tomasec.
Only 35 second later the Slovakians took the lead when Youngstown Phantom Alexander Jencko scored making it 2-1 at 15:46 of the first. The assists on the goal went to Wisonsin Windigo Leo Eperjesi and Adam Belusko.
Then Humboldt Bronco Matt Van Blaricom made it 2-2 with a nicely placed snipe with 3 minutes remaining in the starting period with the assist going to the captain Jack Silverberg. Blaricom is committed to Michigan Tech.
Shots on goal in the first period were 12 each.
Slovakia makes it 3-2 when Alexander Jencko gets his second of the game assists from Adam Cedzo and Lincoln Star Max Ferkodic only 36 seconds into the period.
Then just 32 seconds after that Brooks Bandit Nathan Free snipes it and makes it 3-3 with the assist going to Matthew Van Blariscom. Free is a guy I am almost certain will be selected somewhere in the 2024 NHL draft along with Sawyer at the very least from the AJHL. It is also nice to actually cheer for him when he scores.
Jack Silverberg scored from Sam Huck and Layne Loomer. This one may of bounced off the Slovak guy and not Silverberg when Huck put it out front but what ever its in its a goal.
Jack Silverberg scores again for his second goal of the game on a pass from Layne Loomer on a 2 on 1 to make it 5-3 for Canada West. Assist to Dominic Payne. It looked like Loomer did at first.
Shots on goal in the second period were 18-8 for Canada West.
Sherwood Park Crusader Diego Johnson scored on the Power Play to make it 6-3 with the assist going to Logan Sawyer and Ryan Zaremba in the third period. With 3:27 remaining while on the Power Play Slovakia pulled their goalie. With 2:47 left Layne Loomer scores on the empty net to make it 7-3 Canada. That is a short handed goal for Loomer too.
Canada West goalie Erik Roest stopped 24 of the 27 shots that he faced for the win. While for Slovakia 17 year old Martin Haronik stopped 31 of the 38 shots that he faced.
I guessed Silverberg and Jencko for players of the game. It was Silverberg and Adam Cedzo.
