Cole Reschny grew up watching the world junior hockey championship with his family.
The Canadian forward kickstarted a crucial game on Friday — propelling his team to a dominant 7-1 victory over Slovakia in the quarterfinals of the men’s under-20 tournament in Minneapolis.
“I remember watching this tournament at Christmas with my brothers and dad for as long as I can recall,” said the Calgary Flames prospect. “It’s truly special. It’s surreal that it’s now my age group, my year.”
Contributions also came from Michael Misa, Sam O’Reilly, Porter Martone, and Cole Beaudoin, each recording a goal and an assist for the Canadians. Tij Iginla and Brady Martin also found the back of the net. Jack Ivankovic made 21 saves, with Zayne Parehk and Keaton Verhoeff each providing two assists.
“Setting the tone like that in an elimination game was crucial for our team,” Martone commented. “We discussed the importance of a strong start in the locker room, and that’s exactly what we executed.”
Jan Chovan scored the lone goal for Slovakia, who had openly discussed upsetting Canada before the game.
“There was definitely some chatter,” Martin acknowledged. “We heard some comments, but we used it as motivation and shut it down.”
Michal Pradel allowed three goals on 11 shots before being replaced by Alan Lendak, who made 27 saves in relief.
“Our strong start, going up 5-0, really shook their confidence,” Martin added.
Seeking Redemption
Canada will face the Czech Republic in the semifinals, the team that ended their tournament dreams in the last two years’ quarterfinals, in a game set for Sunday in nearby St. Paul, Minn. Sweden will take on Finland to compete for a spot in Monday’s championship game after Finland’s dramatic victory over the United States in overtime.
The Canadians, who defeated the Czech Republic 7-5 in a tense Boxing Day clash marred by a missed handshake line, are seeking their first knockout-round victory since clinching their 20th gold medal in 2023. This victory followed two disappointing quarterfinal exits, including last year’s defeat in Ottawa.
“We’re focused on nothing less than the gold medal,” asserted Martone, the team’s captain and one of six players seeking revenge. “We’re all pumped up and ready for the challenge. We know the Czech Republic will be tough opponents.”
‘Special Team’
In a reminiscent move, Canada, which had to rely on an overtime winner from Connor Bedard and stellar goaltending from Thomas Milic to overcome Slovakia 4-3 in the quarterfinals three years ago in Halifax, took charge early in the game.
Reschny, the 18th overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft, broke the ice with a rebound goal at 13:58, followed by Iginla’s quick strike at 44 seconds later, leaving the Slovak goalie waving helplessly. Misa extended the lead at 16:11 with a well-placed shot that ended Pradel’s night at 3M Arena.
“I have so much love for these guys,” Misa praised his teammates. “We’ve got something special here.”
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