TRENČÍN, Slovakia — Berkly Catton scored twice and added an assist as Canada's under-18 men's team routed the United States 7-2 on Friday in the semifinal of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Canada will face Czechia in Saturday's (11 a.m. ET) final.
Maxim Masse struck twice for Canada, while Malcolm Spence, Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin added goals. Henry Mews chipped in with three assists.
Goalie Carter George made 22 saves for the win.
Trevor Connelly and Will Zellers supplied the offence for the U.S. and Caleb Heil stopped 27 shots.
The Canadians went 4 for 10 on the power play and the Americans were 2 for 8 with the man advantage.
“Our nervous excitement showed early in the first period. We talked before the game about (the rivalry). I think every kid dreams about playing in the Canada-U.S. matchup, especially with the opportunity to win a gold medal on the line," said Canada's head coach Alan Letang.
"I liked our second period a lot better; we were able to get into our depth and roll all four lines. Czechia is a good team; they are structured and sound defensively, so we will have to earn our scoring chances (Saturday). The fans are probably going to be crazy; it is going to be a great experience for us to persevere and come out with the victory.”
The Hlinka Gretzky Cup has been held annually since 1991 under different names. It isn't sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation, which holds its world under-18 men's championship in April.
Canada has won gold 23 times, including last year in Red Deer, Alta.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2023.
The Canadian Press
