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Unheralded forward Emmitt Finnie played a crucial role in keeping Canada undefeated at the world hockey championship in Fribourg, Switzerland. Finnie scored his first international goal and added an assist as Canada beat Slovenia 3-1 on Friday, extending their lead atop Group B.
The 20-year-old from Lethbridge, Alberta, has secured a regular spot with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings after being picked in the seventh round of the 2023 draft. In his rookie season, he played all 82 games, scoring 17 goals and 13 assists.
Finnie sealed the victory with a smart goal in the third period, redirecting a point shot from Morgan Rielly past Slovene goalie Zan Us. “It feels great [to score], and if anyone told me nine months ago that I would be [at world championship], I would have said they were crazy,” said Finnie, who was named Canada’s player of the game. “It has been a lot of fun here, and I have had a lot of support from everyone, so it feels great. We need to keep playing our game, never be satisfied and keep working hard.”
Denton Mateychuk and Dylan Cozens also scored for Canada, which now leads Pool B with 14 points from four regulation wins and one overtime victory. Mateychuk, making his world championship debut, scored early in the first period with a shot from the top of the left circle. Cozens added the second goal from the slot late in the second period, marking his third goal in the tournament. Sidney Crosby recorded his sixth assist on the play.
Rozle Bohinc scored for Slovenia with just over a minute remaining, spoiling Jet Greaves’s shutout bid. Greaves stopped 13 shots in goal for Canada, while Us made 29 saves for Slovenia.
“Slovenia competes hard, and their goalie played well and stood on his head today,” Finnie said of Us.
Cozens praised Finnie’s effort and attitude. “[Finnie] has been in and out of the lineup, but he’s been positive every day and he is a fun teammate to be around,” Cozens said. “Every time he gets on the ice, he works hard and he got rewarded for that today.”
Canada will wrap up its preliminary round with games against Slovakia on Sunday and Czechia on Tuesday, both at 2:20 p.m. ET. Slovakia sits second in Pool B, three points behind Canada, while Czechia trails by four points. Canada remains unbeaten with four regulation wins and one overtime victory.
In Group A action in Zurich, Germany earned its first victory with a 6-2 win over Hungary after four losses. Leon Gawanke led the charge with a hat trick.
Meanwhile, newcomers Italy and Britain extended their losing streaks to five games. Britain was shut out 4-0 by Finland in Zurich, while Sweden blanked Italy 3-0 in Fribourg.
Finland’s Ville Heinola set the tone by scoring 58 seconds into the game; Finland stayed perfect with five wins and now shares the lead in Group A with host Switzerland. Sweden relied on two goals from NHL draft prospect Ivar Stenberg to claim their third win.
Italy and Britain sit last in their groups without any points, facing the threat of immediate relegation if they fail to earn points in their final two group matches.
Coverage includes files from The Associated Press.
