Canadians fall 5-1 to United States in gold medal game
>>>GAME HIGHLIGHTS – December 13th, 2025
TROIS-RIVIÈRES, QC – Canada West has earned the silver medal at the 2025 Junior A World Challenge, falling 5-1 to the United States in the gold medal game on Saturday at Colisée Vidéotron.
Noah Chadi (Edmonton, AB/Grande Prairie, AJHL) scored the lone goal for Canada West 4:43 into the second period, with Rylan Hue (Saskatoon, SK/Humboldt, SJHL) and Ethan Stewart (Brandon, MB/Dauphin, MJHL) assisting on the play. Canada West captain Esteban Cinq-Mars (Longueuil, QC/Lloydminster, AJHL) was named Player of the Game for Canada West and earned a spot on the tournament all-star team.
“I think the difference tonight was that we could not capitalize on our chances, while our opponents were more opportunists. We knew that it was not so much finesse that would give us chances, but we needed to create several turnovers,’’ said Cinq-Mars. “Overall, we had a very good group, and it was extremely positive to get together every day. Being named captain of a Canadian team is a childhood dream for me, and I am very grateful. Joining this team and playing a more defensive role took some adjustment, but I’m very proud of it, and being named to the All-Star team makes me very happy and grateful.”
“I thought we were right in the fight the whole game, and we cannot be prouder of our players because our work ethic and structure was there,” said Trevor Blevins (Melfort, SK/Melfort, SJHL), head coach of Canada West. “[The United States] are very skilled, and we cannot take anything away from them, but our guys can hold their head high. It was a great experience for our players, and it was awesome to be part of this tournament. Our group grew very quickly on and off the ice, and what I like about our team is that we stuck together and showed up every day. We wanted to get better. Our leadership group and each player in that dressing room really bought in to the messaging. It was a great experience and we cannot thank Hockey Canada for the experience they gave to all of us.’’
Canada East finishes fourth after 5-1 loss to Sweden in bronze medal game
Earlier in the day, Canada East fell 5-1 to Sweden in the bronze medal game to finish fourth at the Junior A World Challenge. Sweden’s bronze medal is its third medal in the last four tournaments, having won silver in 2024 and bronze in 2022.
Mavrick Brunet (Laval, QC/Rockland, CCHL) scored the lone goal for Canada East with just over two minutes remaining in the opening period, while Kale Osipenko (Refrew, ON/Renfrew, CCHL), who finished the tournament with a 2.39 goals-against average and .931 save percentage, made 28 saves.
>>>GAME HIGHLIGHTS – December 12th, 2025 (Semi-Finals)
Canada West 2, Canada East 0
- Thomas Ries (Humboldt, SK/Yorkton, SJHL) scored the game-winning goal (shorthanded) for Canada West 2:52 of the second period.
- Raphaël Messier (Sherbrooke, QC/Lloydminster, AJHL) registered a goal and an assist.
- Taye Timmerman (Winnipeg, MB/Warman, SJHL) and Luke McKechnie (Lumsden, SK/Whitecourt, AJHL) were perfect in net for Canada West with ten and 16 saves respectively.
- Kale Osipenko (Renfrew, ON/Renfrew, CCHL) stopped 18 of 19 shots for Canada East.
Next games – Saturday, Dec. 13
- Sweden vs. Canada East (Bronze Medal Game) – 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT
- Canada West vs. United States (Gold Medal Game) – 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
Quotes:
“It is a very good feeling right now. We were due for a win, and it cannot come at a better time. We knew we had to come out strong; we have had a few slow starts lately but we were focused and we never gave up. There is nothing that would have stopped me from scoring this goal, I wanted it so bad. We will be ready and come out flying tomorrow.” – Ries on his team’s first victory and playing for a gold medal.
“It was a very good effort by our team, unbelievable win by our players today. They should all hold their head high, everybody showed up, contributed and played the right way. Every guy worked hard, we defended well, and it was great display of effort and commitment by our team. Our goaltending was fantastic (both of our goalies). Our defense really competed in hard areas, our forwards bought into the plan, and they were committed to all the right plays we had to make. It was a buy-in from every player. Itis pretty special to see a group of players come together in such a short time-period. We feel good about the gold medal game tomorrow.’’ – Canada West head coach Trevor Blevins (Melfort, SK/Melfort, SJHL) on tonight’s win and advancing to the gold medal game.
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>>>GAME HIGHLIGHTS – December 10th, 2025
United States 4, Canada West 0
- Taye Timmermann (Winnipeg, MB/Warman, SJHL) made 35 saves for Canada West, earning the Player-of-the-Game honours.
- Brent Solomon and Ashton Schultz registered a goal and an assist each for the Americans.
- The United States outshot Canada West 39-12.
Next games (semifinals) – Friday, Dec. 12
- Canada West vs. Canada East – 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT
- Sweden vs. United States – 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
All tournament games will be available via livestream on HNLive.ca, while the gold medal game will also be available on TSN+.
Quotes:
“[The United States] had things going tonight, and it is that simple. We have to give our opponents credit, but for fifty-plus minutes of the game we were one shot away, and I thought our defending was good and we started the game well. Our game plan was to defend well in all three zones, and although we did not get a lot of offensive opportunities, I think that there are positives from this game that we can take into the [medal] round. We were very happy with Taye’s game in net tonight because he was very solid, fast and competitive, and he did a great job for us. We have to rest and reset tomorrow and be ready for Friday’s game.” – Canada West head coach Trevor Blevins (Melfort, SK/Melfort, SJHL) on tonight’s game and the semifinals.
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>>>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD GAME HIGHLIGHTS – December 8th, 2025
Canada East 4, Canada West 3 (SO)
- Peter Legostaev (Ottawa, ON/Brockville, CCHL) and Tate Collins (Newmarket, ON/Toronto, OJHL) registered a goal and an assist each for Canada East.
- Legostaev, Mavrick Brunet (Laval, QC/Rockland, CCHL) and Brant Romaniuk (Timmins, ON/Timmins, NOJHL) scored in the shootout.
- Ethan Stewart (Brandon, MB/Dauphin, MJHL) recorded a goal and a helper for Canada West.
- Maksim Corovic (Stoney Creek, ON/Collingwood, OJHL) made 42 saves for Canada East and was perfect in the shootout.
- Canada West outshot Canada East 45-28.
Next games – Wednesday, Dec. 10
- Canada East vs. Sweden – 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT
- Canada West vs. United States – 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
All tournament games will be available via livestream on HNLive.ca, while the gold medal game will also be available on TSN+.
Quotes:
“Our guys looked a little more tired than in our previous games, and we did not play to our identity tonight. Our goaltender was outstanding once again, and we had some good moments, but we were not consistent enough in our overall effort tonight. It is disappointing to lose a point [by going to overtime], but we are going to learn from this game and be better next game.” – Canada East head coach Bruce Richardson (Pincourt, QC/Valleyfield, LHJAAAQ) on tonight’s game.
“Our goalie [Maksim Corovic] played a great game tonight. Our guys came back from adversity and we were able to bounce back, and I think our resiliency was great tonight. Canada West played a solid game tonight, and they challenged us, but we still have things to improve and we will continue to get better. It was a great overtime [period] for both teams as well, but we tried to maintain possession as much as possible and keep the puck away from [Canada West’s] players. Playing for the country means everything for us, and we want to win for our fans and communities.” – Legostaev on the shootout victory.
“Both teams had a lot of energy tonight. I am very proud of our group because we showed a lot of character and resiliency, especially through the third period when we were down by one [goal] until the [final minute]. We did not get frustrated. We played a hard game, and I thought everyone played the Canadian way tonight. We could have buried a few more [goals] early, but we kept putting traffic in front of the net and crashing the paint. Our mental toughness was great tonight, and that was important for us to be able to stick to the game plan. I was also happy with our shot selections and the opportunities for rebounds on our chances. We were doing the right thing offensively and getting our chances, and we will take the positive in that.” – Canada West head coach Trevor Blevins (Melfort, SK/Melfort, SJHL) on tonight’s effort.
