It was a bit of the good and a bit of the bad for a pair of Moose Jaw Warriors in action at the World Junior Hockey Championship earlier this week,
Warriors forward Martin Rysavy and Team Czechia opened their pre-tournament run on Tuesday night with a 6-3 win over Latvia, while forward Robert Baco and Team Slovakia dropped a 5-0 decision to Germany in their first exhibition game on Sunday night.
Rysavy didn’t hit the scoresheet against Latvia, but things turned out well for his crew regardless. Czechia scored a pair of goals in the first and led 3-1 through two before scoring three goals in just under two minutes to pull away in the third.
Kelowna Rockets forward Gabriel Szturc had two goals and an assist for Czechia.
Rysavy -- a seventh-round draft pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft -- has two goals and 11 points for the Warriors this season, including a five-point effort in his second-last game before the Christmas break.
The World Juniors mark Rysavy’s fifth time playing for his country, including the 2022 World Juniors where he scored a pair of goals in seven games.
Czechia continues their pre-season schedule against Switzerland on Thursday before opening their main tournament against Canada on Dec. 26.
Baco and Slovakia couldn’t get anything going against Germany, surrendering a pair of goals in each of the first and second periods before eventually falling by five. It wasn’t for a lack of opportunities, though, as Slovakia outshot Germany 33-21, including 11-2 in the final frame.
Baco -- who has six goals and 10 points in 28 games with the Warriors this season -- was held off the scoresheet.
The 2023 World Juniors mark the Kosice, Slov. product’s third time wearing his country’s colours, having last played for Slovakia at the World Under-18 Championship in 2021, where he had two goals and four points in six games.
Slovakia continues their exhibition schedule against Canada on Wednesday night and Austria on Friday. Their first preliminary round game is slated for Tuesday, Dec. 27 when they take on Finland.
Canada, meanwhile, wasted little time getting things going in their pre-season opener, rolling to a 6-0 win over Switzerland. Seattle Kraken prospect Shane Wright had two goals and three points, Regina’s Connor Bedard had three assists to lead Canada. WHL Seattle’s Thomas Milic stopped 19 shots for the shutout.
