Moose Jaw Warriors forward Robert Baco might not have been able to take the ice with Slovakia at the World Junior Hockey Championship on Friday afternoon, but things turned out well for his team just the same.
Slovakia found themselves in a close battle with Latvia through the first two periods before scoring a pair in the third and taking a 3-0 victory at Avenir Centre in Moncton, N.B.
Baco sat out the contest due to a one-game suspension for a cross-checking major and game misconduct he received in the final seconds of Slovakia’s upset win over the United States on Wednesday.
Alex Ciernik, Simon Nemec and Filip Mesar scored for Slovakia, who led 1-0 after the first and second periods. Adam Gajan had 28 saves to pick up the shutout.
Slovakia improved to 2-1-0-0 with the win, moving into a tie for second place with the United States with six points. Their final round-robin game on New Year’s Eve against Switzerland will mainly be for seeding, as Slovakia is guaranteed a spot in the top four.
Latvia moves on to the relegation round and will face either Germany or Austria in the best-of-of three series to determine which team remains in the top division for 2024.
Warriors forward Martin Rysavy and Czechia had Friday off, but are also in action on Dec. 31 when they take on winless Germany.
Czechia has picked up points in all three of their games and has seven points, one back of Sweden and one up on Canada with each team having one round-robin game left.
For Team Canada on Thursday night, it was another commanding performance and another stellar night for Regina Pats star Connor Bedard.
Bedard put up two goals and six points in Canada’s 11-0 win over Austria, tying the tournament record for goals by a player in a World Junior career held by former Regina standout Jordan Eberle. The consensus first-overall pick for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft now has six goals and 14 points in three games.
Dylan Guenther (NHL Arizona), Shane Wright (NHL Seattle), Joshua Roy (QMJHL Sherbrooke) , Tyson Hinds (QMJHL Sherbrooke), Logan Stankoven (WHL Kamloops),
Nolan Allan (WHL Seattle), Zach Dean (QMJHL Gatineau), Adam Fantilli (NCAA Michigan) and Nathan Gaucher (QMJHL Quebec) all had single markers for Canada.
Benjamin Gaudreau (OHL Sarnia) had 12 saves in the win.
Canada faces Sweden in their final round-robin game on New Year’s Day, with a win potentially giving them top spot in Pool A.
The quarter-finals are set for Monday, followed by the semifinals on Wednesday, Jan. 4 and medal games on Thursday, Jan. 5.
