2007-08 National Men's Under-18 Team

Tuesday, August 7, 2007
EXHIBITION GAME #01

CANADA EDGES SLOVAKIA IN IVAN HLINKA EXHIBITION GAME

PIESTANY, Slovakia – Team Canada’s top line of Steven Stamkos, Chris Doyle and Jordan Eberle combined for 10 points in Canada’s 7-6 victory over Team Slovakia on Sunday night.

The game was a tune up for both teams in advance of the 2007 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka, a tournament featuring eight teams of players born in 1990 or later.

Stamkos (Unionville, ON/Sarnia, OHL) scored two goals and added three assists, Doyle (Charlottetown, PEI/Charlottetown, QMJHL) had two goals and an assist and Eberle (Calgary, AB/Regina, WHL) had a goal and an assist.

Slovakia took a 2-0 lead early, as Valerian Poticny and Martin Bakos scored eight seconds apart. Doyle got Canada on the board with a wrist shot at 7:11, 10 seconds after Slovakia took the 2-0 lead.

Richard Panik’s goal at 10:33 gave Slovakia a 3-1 lead.

But Canada tied the game on goals by Stamkos and Eberle.

Canada took a 4-3 lead late in the first period when Cody Hodgson (Markham, ON/Brampton, OHL) scored.

In the second period, Stamkos scored his second goal of the game, this one coming on a nice solo effort, to give Canada a 5-3 lead. But Slovakia made it 5-4 on a goal by Martin Sloboda.

Before the period ended, Canada restored its two-goal lead. Jordan Caron (Sayabec, QC/Rimouski, QMJHL) finished a play set up by Nazem Kadri (London, ON/Kitchener, OHL).

Doyle scored the eventual game-winning goal at 7:14 of the third period. Slovakia’s Michal Pichnarcik and Boris Jankovsky scored to keep things close.

Both of Canada’s netminders – Peter Delmas (Bedford, NS/Lewiston, QMJHL) and Kevin Poulin (Montreal, QC/Victoriaville, QMJHL) – saw action. Delmas stopped five of eight shots he faced and Poulin turned aside 12 of 15.

Canada will face Sweden on Tuesday in the opening round-robin game for both teams (Hodonin, Czech Republic, 3:30 p.m. local time/9:30 a.m. ET).