2019-20 National Men's U18 Team

CANADA SHUTS OUT SWISS AT HLINKA GRETZKY CUP

QUINTON AMUNDSON

BRECLAV, Czech Republic – Cole Perfetti (Whitby, Ont./Saginaw, OHL) finished with two goals and two assists, Hendrix Lapierre (Gatineau, Que./Chicoutimi, QMJHL) scored twice and added a helper and Dylan Garand (Victoria, B.C./Kamloops, WHL) made eight saves to power Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team to an 8-0 win over Switzerland on Tuesday at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Justin Sourdif (Surrey, B.C./Vancouver, WHL) and Jérémie Poirier (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que./Saint John, QMJHL) had a goal and an assist each, and Ryan O’Rourke (Pickering, Ont./Sault. Ste Marie, OHL) and Will Cuylle (Toronto, Ont./Windsor, OHL) also scored goals for Canada, which outshot Switzerland 48-8.

Poirier initiated Canada’s offensive momentum with a shot from the blue-line at 9:32, and O’Rourke doubled the lead 57 seconds later by tipping in a great pass from Quinton Byfield (Newmarket, Ont./Sudbury, OHL).

Lapierre sent Canada into the intermission with a 3-0 advantage by wiring in a power-play marker late in the opening frame.

Canada went up by four with eight minutes left in the second period courtesy of a highlight-reel goal by Perfetti, who stick-handled past multiple defenders before lifting a backhand over the arm of Swiss netminder Noah Patenaude.

He struck again just over five minutes later with a wrist shot from the right face-off circle, and Sourdiff banged home a rebound in the final minute of the period to give Canada a 6-0 lead after 40 minutes.

Canada closed out its scoring with tallies less than three minutes apart midway through the final period as Lapierre scored with a slap shot and Cuylle rifled in a power-play goal.

Garand was busiest in the second period, making five of his eight stops. After Tristan Lennox (Cambridge, Ont./Saginaw, OHL) blanked Finland on Monday, it is the first time Canada has ever opened a summer under-18 tournament with consecutive shutouts.

The Canadians will look to finish a perfect preliminary round Wednesday against the Czech Republic (1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT).