It was a golden weekend for a couple of Saskatchewan hockey players.
Whitewood’s Reese Hamilton and Macklin’s Cole Reschny, alongside Team Canada, clinched gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, defeating Czechia 2-1 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, marking their 25th career win at the event.
“It’s always an honor to wear the maple leaf but coming together as a group and earning the gold at the end makes it even more special,” said Hamilton.
Forwards Liam Kilfoil and Caleb Desnoyers each scored in the first period, while goaltender Jack Ivankovic made 18 saves and was named player of the match for Canada.
Hamilton, who was also on the roster of the Canadian team that won this past spring’s IIHF Men’s Under-18 hockey championships in Finland, remarked that achieving this victory on home soil was even more special.
“They were both great experiences, but you know what, I didn’t get as much of an opportunity there as I did this time around. To do it in front of family and friends is something I won’t forget,” added Hamilton.
Macklin’s Cole Reschny led the Canadian squad in scoring with three goals and four assists for seven points in five games, while Hamilton was a defensive stalwart on the blue line but did not record any points in the tournament.
With this win, Canada became the first team to hit the quarter-century mark, with no active team winning more than once.
This is also Canada’s third straight championship, while Czechia has five medals to their credit since 2014.
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Audio with Reese Hamilton below:
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