Canada’s bid for a third consecutive U-18 men’s hockey world championship was halted on Wednesday by Sweden in Trencin, Slovakia, as they suffered a 4-2 defeat in the quarterfinals. Nils Bartholdsson’s two late goals in the third period sealed the victory for Sweden, who were last year’s runners-up. Canada’s head coach Drew Bannister acknowledged Sweden’s strong performance, emphasizing their passion and physical play.
Sweden took an early lead with first-period goals from Olle Karlsson and Ludvig Andersson, while Maddox Dagenais and Callum Croskery managed to score for Canada in the second period. However, Croskery expressed disappointment in the team’s overall performance, stating that they had more to offer.
The Swedish goalie Kevin Tornblom made 33 saves to secure the win, while Canada’s Gavin Betts made 22 saves in a losing effort. Sweden’s victory extended their streak of podium finishes to seven tournaments, with two gold, two silver, and three bronze medals.
In other quarterfinal matches, Latvia stunned the United States with a 5-2 victory, Czechia defeated Finland 2-1, and host Slovakia faced Denmark in a separate quarterfinal clash.