MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- Moose Jaw Warriors fans will have much to cheer for in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup championship final on Saturday night.
Moose Jaw Warriors prospect Dominik Pavlik and Team Czechia will face Team Canada in the U18 tournament’s gold medal game after Czechia took a 5-1 win over Sweden in their semifinal and Canada downed the U.S. 5-1 in their playoff contest.
Pavlik -- the Warriors' first-round selection in the CHL Import Draft earlier this summer -- was held off the scoresheet in the semifinal as Czechia scored three goals in the second period to secure their win.
Adam Benak, Thomas Malinek and Vit Zahejsky all scored in the frame after Sweden had taken a 1-0 lead out of the first period. Zahejsky and Viktor Samal then added empty-net goals in the final two minutes to finish things off.
Ondrej Stebetak stopped 18 shots for Czechia, Love Harenstam had 23 saves for Sweden.
Viktor Klingsell scored the lone goal for Sweden.
Canada’s win over the U.S. was also as clean-cut as they come, as they took a 1-0 lead out of the first period and led 3-1 through two before adding a pair of third-period insurance markers.
Cameron Schmidt (WHL Vancouver) scored the lone first-period goal before Alex Huang (QMJHL Chicoutimi) and Cole Reschny (WHL Victoria) picked up Canada’s pair in the second. Luca Romano (OHL Kitchener) added an empty netter in the third and Gavin McKenna (WHL Medicine Hat) scored a power play goal with 14 seconds remaining in the game.
Sam Spehar had the lone goal for the U.S.
Jack Ivankovic (OHL Brampton) turned aside 28 shots in the win, Ryan Cameron stopped 30 in the losing effort.
Both Canada and Czechia have gone undefeated to this point with 4-0 records, with the gold medal game taking place at 6 p.m. from Rogers Place in Edmonton. The game will be broadcast on TSN.
