January 2025: Canada’s journey in the World Junior Hockey Championship ended in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row.
On Thursday, Adam Jecho scored the winning goal for Czechia on a power play with just 39.4 seconds remaining, sealing a 4-3 victory over the tournament hosts.
Petr Sikora, Jakub Stancl, and Eduard Sale also scored for the Czech team, which had previously eliminated Canada in a similar dramatic finish last year in Sweden. Goalie Michael Hrabal made 29 saves to help Czechia secure the win.
Tanner Howe, Porter Martone, and Bradly Nadeau scored for Canada, but it wasn’t enough. This marks the first time since the early 1980s that Canada has failed to compete for a medal in consecutive tournaments.
Canada’s World Junior Hockey Championship campaign ended in heartbreak with a 4-3 loss to Czechia in the quarterfinals.
Carter George made 22 saves, while Brayden Yager provided two assists, but the Canadians struggled to find their rhythm in front of the home crowd.
Czechia will now face the United States in Saturday’s semifinals, with Sweden set to play Finland for the other spot in the final.
Canada’s hopes were briefly revived when Bradly Nadeau scored his second goal of the tournament to tie the game 3-3 with just over four minutes left in the third period. However, a penalty by Canadian defenceman Andrew Gibson for kneeing with 2:27 remaining gave Czechia a late power play. Adam Jecho capitalized, scoring the game-winner on a one-timer with under a minute left, crushing Canada’s dreams.
The game started poorly for Canada, as Petr Sikora redirected a goal just 43 seconds into the first period to give Czechia an early lead. Czechia, last year’s bronze medalist and 2023 silver medalist, showed their experience and resilience to knock out the hosts.
