Team Canada is in the final of the 2022 World Men’s Hockey Championship in Tampere, Finland. On Saturday, Canada trounced the Czech Republic 6-1 in the second of two semifinals.
Buffalo Sabres centre Dylan Cozens of Whitehorse, Yukon led Canada in scoring with three points (two goals and one assist). Two other Canadian players had a multi-point game as Columbus Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson of Port Moody, British Columbia had one goal and one assist for two points and Drake Batherson of Port Minas, Nova Scotia had two assists. The other Canadian goal scorers were New York Islanders centre Mathieu Barzal of Coquitlam, British Columbia, Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger of Regina, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg Jets centre Adam Lowry of Calgary, Alberta. It is interesting that Batherson, Lowry and Sillinger were all American-born, but represent Canada because they were sons of Canadian professional hockey players on American teams.
Canada will be playing Finland in the gold medal game on Sunday. Finland defeated the United States 4-3 on Saturday in the first semifinal. This will be the third straight World Men’s Hockey Championship gold medal game. In 2019 in Bratislava, Slovakia, Finland defeated Canada 3-1. Then in 2021, Canada defeated Finland 3-2 with an overtime winner by Nick Paul of Mississauga, Ontario.
