Teenage phenom Gavin McKenna scores, Canada tops Finland 4-0 in world junior opener
CTV
Teenage sensation Gavin McKenna scored late in the first period and Carter George made 31 saves for the shutout as Canada picked up a 4-0 victory over Finland in the host country's opener at the world junior hockey championship Thursday.
Teenage sensation Gavin McKenna scored late in the first period and Carter George made 31 saves for the shutout as Canada picked up a 4-0 victory over Finland in the host country's opener at the world junior hockey championship Thursday.
Easton Cowan, Luca Pinelli and Matthew Schaefer, into the empty net, had the other goals for the Canadians, who are looking to build on a record 20 gold medals after finishing a disastrous fifth at last year's tournament in Sweden.
Petteri Rimpinen stopped 37 shots in taking the loss.
Canada and Finland are in Group A along with the United States, Germany and Latvia. The Americans thumped the Germans 10-4 earlier Thursday.
Sweden, Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Kazakhstan make up Group B.
Canada was bounced in the quarterfinals some 12 months ago at an event that saw the hockey powerhouse stunningly unable to raise its level on the big stage despite fervent support from 3,000-plus travelling fans.
The under-20 program's brain trust went back to the drawing board for the 2025 showcase, intent on building a different type of roster on home soil. The word "competitive" has been a buzz word since the group first got together in the nation's capital earlier this month for selection camp.
