'Every Game Against Canada Is Dramatic': Czechia Eliminate Canadians From World Juniors Yet Again

4 days ago 2

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The best new rivalry in junior hockey wrote another sizzling chapter in Minnesota as Czechia beat Canada 6-4 in the semifinal of the world juniors.

It was a hard-hitting, chippy affair between two programs that have gotten to know each other on ill terms in the past few years, and this was no exception.

A rash of goaltender interference penalties, big-time collisions and a lot of goals marked a game where the Czechs managed to shut down Canada for enough of the game that they outshot the Canucks 37-24.

"Every game against Canada is dramatic," said 2026 NHL draft prospect Adam Novotny. "It was dramatic until the last minute. But we played smart, and they got some stupid penalties, so it was to our advantage. It's an amazing feeling and I can't wait for the final."

Canada got on the board first thanks to a power-play marker by Tij Iginla (UTA), who was wide-open in front of the Czech net when he caught a pass from Michael Misa (SJ). But a turnover later in the period ended up in a Max Curran (COL) goal, courtesy of defenseman Tomas Galvas, who continued his excellent tournament for the Czechs.

In what was a war of attrition, Canada lost Brady Martin (NSH) to injury late in the first period after he threw a hit on big Matyas Man and got the worst of the impact. They also lost captain Porter Martone (PHI) for a stretch later in the contest.

The Czechs took their first lead of the game when Adam Titlbach took a quick pass in the slot and whipped one past Jack Ivankovic (NSH), who played well in the Canadian net – as did his Czech counterpart Michael Orsulak, who stood tall on a Misa-Iginla 2-on-1 in the second period, for example.

Zayne Parekh (CGY) continued his great tournament with a 5-on-3 power-play goal in the second to knot things 2-2, and a big moment followed with two minutes remaining in the frame. Michael Hage (MTL) was awarded a penalty shot after he was fouled on a breakaway, but Orsulak tripped him during the attempt. The referees gave Hage a second penalty shot, but Hage lost the puck on a deke attempt.

Soon after, Adam Benak (MIN) scored on a feed from Curran, and the Czechs were back in front.

The third period was just as wild, with the teams exchanging goals and more penalties. Martone tied things late for Canada after grabbing a loose puck off a Harrison Brunicke (PIT) point shot, only to see the Czechs regain the lead soon after when a Curran shot on a broken play went off Tomas Poletin (NYI) at the side of the Canadian net. Vojtech Cihar (LA) scored on the empty net for the 6-4 final, and the Czechs got revenge on Canada for the first game of the round-robin when the Canadians beat them 7-5.

"In the third period when they tied the game, we just played our game and scored two goals," Cihar said. "We just tried to block shots and make the easy plays. It was great."

Added Orsulak: "We played better defense than in the first game. It's all about defense in a playoff game."

Now the Czechs move on to the gold-medal game, where they will meet the powerful Swedes. The Czechs will clinch a fourth-straight world junior medal in 2026, though they have not won gold since 2001. The Swedes haven't won since 2012 themselves, so a long futility streak will be broken in Minnesota either way.

But at least for one night, the Czechs added another chapter in what has become a terrific rivalry with Canada – a team they have now eliminated from the world juniors three years in a row. Czech hockey is now officially a problem for opponents, and they're doing it as a big, heavy, talented unit.

"We played as a team," Novotny said. "We work as a team. Everybody would die for their teammates, and I think we were the smarter team in this game. We did the small things right."

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