Team Canada men’s hockey team hammers Switzerland at 2018 Winter Olympics

Rene Bourque (Wikimedia Commons)

Team Canada is off to a strong start in the men’s hockey tournament at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. On Thursday at the Kwandong Hockey Centre, Canada delivered a convincing 5-1 win over Switzerland in Group A action.

The Canadian team comprised of no current players in the National Hockey League for the first time since the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, had two goals each from Rene Bourque of Lac La Biche, Alberta and Wojtek Wolski of Toronto, Ontario. The other Canadian goal scorer was defenseman Maxim Noreau of Montreal, Quebec.

Interestingly, Noreau currently plays in the Swiss League. A member of Bern SC, Noreau has eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points in 30 games. He was also the captain of the Canadian team that won the 2017 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.

Derek Roy of Rockland, Ontario led Canada in scoring with three assists. Another player on Team Canada who had a multi-point game was Chris Lee of MacTier, Ontario, who had two assists. Lee was the only player not in the National Hockey League that helped Canada win a silver medal at the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Cologne, Germany. Canada lost 2-1 to Sweden in a shootout in the gold medal game.

There were two massive surprises on the opening day of the Olympic men’s hockey tournament. Slovakia beat the Olympic Athletes from Russia 3-2 and Slovenia stunned the United States 3-2 in overtime in Group B action. Canada’s next game is against the Czech Republic at 8 pm on Friday.

 

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