Hockey: Hlinka-Gretzky: Canada without mercy with 14 goals against Switzerland

Sunday, Jul 31, 2022. 11:40 PM

Canada showed no mercy in its first game of the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup on Sunday night, posting a 14-0 win over Switzerland. Canada scored eight goals in the first period, including three shorthanded, to quickly put the game out of reach for their opponents.

Quebecer Ethan Gauthier led his team with a three-goal performance.

In the loss, Swiss goalkeepers Diego Simeoni and Ewan Huet faced a total of 52 shots. Canadian goaltender Scott Ratzlaff stopped all 17 pucks aimed at him.

The Canadians wasted no time in taking control of the game. Although the team was down by a man, Colby Barlow recovered the puck and broke away to score with a wrist shot to open the scoring.

Then a few minutes later, striker Carson Rehkopf was forgotten in the neutral zone behind the defense of Switzerland. He accepted a long pass from Calum Ritchie before unleashing a good wrist shot on a breakaway to double Canada’s lead.

Obviously, Canada was without complex, even in numerical inferiority. Barlow hit the target for the second time of the game by sliding the puck from the backhand into the back of the net, then Quebec’s Ethan Gauthier also vibrated the ropes short of a man 65 seconds later to increase the score to 4- 0.

The Swiss changed goalkeepers after the 4th Canadian goal, but the result remained the same. With over nine minutes left in the first period, prospect Brayden Yager pushed a puck into an open net.

As if that wasn’t easy enough for the Maple Leaf, Canada took advantage of a power play seconds later. Gauthier accepted a pass from Riley Heidt to make it 6-0 with his second of the game.

Before the end of the first period, Matthew Wood and Andrew Cristall scored to increase Canada’s lead to eight goals.

Canada resumed their demolition work as soon as they returned from the locker room for the second period thanks to a goal from Kalan Lind on a loose puck in front of the net. A few minutes later, a goal from Denver Barkey took Canada to the tenth.

With just over two minutes to play in the middle period, Gauthier completed his hat trick with a perfect wrist shot at the top of the net to make it 11-0. Caden Price hit the target seconds later with a low shot from a tight angle.