TRURO, Nova Scotia – Canada Red has won its first U17 World Challenge gold medal, after defeating Canada White 6-3 on Saturday night at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre.
Canada Red took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission with goals from Charlie Murata (Scarborough, ON/Flint, OHL), Loïk Gariepy (Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, QC/Victoriaville, LHJMQ) and Mirco Dufour (Rocky View, AB/Everett, WHL). After Ryerson Edgar (Holland Landing, ON/Niagara, OHL) made it 4-1, Canada White clawed its way into the game with back-to-back markers from Kaden McGregor (Braeside, ON/Peterborough, OHL) and Maddox Schultz (Regina, SK/Regina, WHL). Despite a furious push by the defending champions, Canada Red sealed it with a pair of empty-net markers from Camryn Warren (Maple, ON/North Bay, OHL) and Benjamin Veitch (St. John’s, NL/Newfoundland, LHJMQ). “What an amazing feeling to win this tournament so close to home,” said Veitch. “This group of guys has gelled so well over the last two weeks and I’m so grateful to be a part of this. What an amazing feeling… my first time playing for my country and to finish it in front of a sold-out barn, family and friends is something I’ve always dreamt of and it’s even better than I could have imagined.”
Leif Oaten (Calgary, AB/Lethbridge, WHL) backstopped his club to the gold medal with a 38-save performance, while Sam Berthiaume (Stellarton, NS/Truro, MHL) kicked aside 38 shots for Canada White.
“It’s hard to put into words the effort and detail these young men have put in,” said Canada Red head coach Ryan McDonald (Prince Albert, SK/Prince Albert, WHL). “The work started in the summer when we got together for our first training camp and led to an incredible two weeks here. From the staff to the coaches to the players, everyone put in an incredible amount of work and to finish this night celebrating at centre ice, there is no better feeling.”
A full game summary game be found HERE.
Following the gold medal game, Hockey Canada announced the 2025 U17 World Challenge all-star team:
United States defeats Czechia 3-1 to win bronze; Finland finishes in fifth place
Earlier in the day, the United States got a pair of goals from Brayden Willis to claim its third bronze medal at the U17 World Challenge with a 3-1 win over Czechia. The U.S. opened the scoring midway through the first period and never looked back, backstopped by Eli Winters, who made 30 saves to earn Player of the Game honours. Braden Horton rounded out the scoring for the Americans.
In the fifth-place game, Finland beat Sweden 3-2 in overtime. Paavo Fugleberg tied the game on a six-on-three with less than 30 seconds left in regulation before Luukas Kokkonen netted the game-winning goal 41 seconds into overtime.
For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2025 U17 World Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.