Canada beats Czechia to win gold at 2023 World Junior Championship

Canada has won for the second straight year after beating Czechia 3-2 in overtime for gold at the 2023 World Junior Championship in Halifax.

It’s Canada’s third tournament in four years and 20th overall. Canada is the first team to touch the 20-win mark, with no other team breaking the 15-win barrier. The Canadians are now the only team since 2009 to defend gold, with 2009 being the end of Canada’s five-year gold medal run.

The Czechs still managed to win a medal for the first time since 2005 when they took bronze over the United States. It’s the first time Czechia has won silver since breaking away from Slovakia.

The first half of the opening frame was quiet, with both teams still on the low end of single digits. At 12:41 on the power play, Canada opened the scoring when Dylan Guenther one-timed Brandt Clarke’s shot and beat Tomas Suchanek for the 1-0 goal.

Canada was buzzing to start the second, and Shane Wright, one of three Canadians to come from the NHL, would show some bedazzle. At 4:35, Wright took Guenther’s pass and deked past two Czechs to create a scoring chance. He shoveled the puck over the arm of Suchanek, giving Canada the 2-0 lead.

The Czechs then held their breath after a scary moment. After Caiden Bankier broke in alone, the Minnesota Wild prospect slid into Suchanek, who was one of the top goaltenders all tournament long. After a couple of minutes, Suchanek was able to get up and stayed in the game, making a couple of big breakaway stops over the next few shifts.

Czechia struggled to generate much of substance in the first 40, but that all changed in the third. At 12:30, Jiri Kulich tipped in a rebound off of an Eduard Sale shot and in to end the shutout bid for Thomas Milic. Then, 54 seconds later, Jakub Kos’ shot hit off of Ethan Del Mastro and in, tying the game up almost instantly.

For the second consecutive year, the game was decided in continuous 3-on-3 overtime. The pace was incredible, with no stoppages in play stopping an incredible extra frame. At 6:22, Dylan Guenther, who spent the entire season in Arizona before the tournament, finished off a 2-on-1 to beat Suchanek and score the golden goal.