<p>The round-robin portion of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup ended today, much to the delight of many of the weaker clubs and spectators alike. The competition level was low this year, resulting in blowout after blowout. Luckily, the final couple of games on Wednesday gave viewers something enjoyable to watch for 60 minutes for a change.</p>
<p>With the semi-final and placement games on the horizon, fans should expect to see more evenly-matched games. The semi-final games are easily the best four teams at the tournament (Canada, Sweden, Czechia and the USA), which should lead to more memorable moments.</p>
<h2>DAY 3 RESULTS&#8230;</h2>
<p><strong>Game 9: Czechia 4 Finland 1</strong></p>
<p>The opening game between these two historic European hockey nations had nothing to play for. Czechia had already locked up first in Group B, and Finland was already anchored to the bottom. The game lacked character, but Czechia&#8217;s skill helped them overcome a lacklustre performance. Adam Benák, who became the tournament&#8217;s all-time leading point scorer yesterday, added another point to his tally, taking him to 18 points.</p>
<p><strong>Game 10: USA 12 Germany 3</strong></p>
<p>The US didn&#8217;t hold back on the Germans. The first period ended 2-0 in favour of the US; however, the Americans turned it up a notch for the remaining 40, scoring ten more. The US got points from 15 skaters, with Alexander Donovan leading the way with five points (1 goal, four assists). It was a disappointing outcome for Germany, who had plenty of optimistic after opening the tournament with a win over Finland. They&#8217;ll now play for fifth against Slovakia on Saturday.</p>
<p><strong>Game 11: Switzerland 2 Slovakia 3 (OT)</strong></p>
<p>Switzerland only went down with a fight in their final round-robin matchup versus Slovakia. After being down 2-0 for most of the game, two goals in nine (!!!) seconds made a 2-2 game in the third period. Unfortunately, they couldn&#8217;t complete the comeback, with Michal Svrcek getting the overtime winner; however, perhaps that feeling of being in a game can help them beat Finland on Saturday.</p>
<p><strong>Game 12: Canada 2 Sweden 1</strong></p>
<p>Canada vs Sweden was easily the tournament&#8217;s most competitive, skilled and entertaining game. We should all hope they meet in the gold medal game on Saturday. Fans had to wait a while between goals after Benjamin Kindel scored to make it 1-0 Canada. Sweden responded quickly to Gavin McKenna&#8217;s goal, which made it 2-0, scoring within minutes to make the final five interesting. However, the hosts held on and secured first in Group A.</p>
<h2 class="sc-gXmSlM ymZom"><strong>OTHER THINGS WORTH MENTIONING…</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>As assumed yesterday, Team Canada forward Braeden Cootes was suspended two games for his spear late in the Slovakia game. Depending on how the semi-final game goes for Canada, his first game back will either be the gold or bronze medal game.</li>
<li>For the fourth year in a row, Canada and Czechia each won their group. The last time was in 2021, when Russia and Slovakia finished first, also the year Canada didn&#8217;t participate.</li>
<li>Finland finished 4th in Group B, its worst performance since 2018. It scored three goals, and its only lead came in Game 1 versus Germany, which they eventually lost.</li>
<li>Viktor Klingsell closed out the round-robin with 11 points. In the last tournament, Berkly Catton finished as the tournament lead with 10 points.</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="sc-gXmSlM ymZom"><strong>UP NEXT…</strong></h2>
<p>Thursday is a day off from games for all the teams, and everyone will be back in action on Friday. Slovakia and Germany start the day in the battle for fifth, with Switzerland and Finland following them up in the Downtown Community Arena for seventh. In the evening, Canada will play the United States, and Sweden will face Czechia.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


The round-robin portion of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup ended today, much to the delight of many of the weaker clubs and spectators alike. The competition level was low this year, resulting in blowout after blowout. Luckily, the final couple of games on Wednesday gave viewers something enjoyable to watch for 60 minutes for a change.

With the semi-final and placement games on the horizon, fans should expect to see more evenly-matched games. The semi-final games are easily the best four teams at the tournament (Canada, Sweden, Czechia and the USA), which should lead to more memorable moments.
<h2>DAY 3 RESULTS...</h2>
<strong>Game 9: Czechia 4 Finland 1</strong>

The opening game between these two historic European hockey nations had nothing to play for. Czechia had already locked up first in Group B, and Finland was already anchored to the bottom. The game lacked character, but Czechia's skill helped them overcome a lacklustre performance. Adam Benák, who became the tournament's all-time leading point scorer yesterday, added another point to his tally, taking him to 18 points.

<strong>Game 10: USA 12 Germany 3</strong>

The US didn't hold back on the Germans. The first period ended 2-0 in favour of the US; however, the Americans turned it up a notch for the remaining 40, scoring ten more. The US got points from 15 skaters, with Alexander Donovan leading the way with five points (1 goal, four assists). It was a disappointing outcome for Germany, who had plenty of optimistic after opening the tournament with a win over Finland. They'll now play for fifth against Slovakia on Saturday.

<strong>Game 11: Switzerland 2 Slovakia 3 (OT)</strong>

Switzerland only went down with a fight in their final round-robin matchup versus Slovakia. After being down 2-0 for most of the game, two goals in nine (!!!) seconds made a 2-2 game in the third period. Unfortunately, they couldn't complete the comeback, with Michal Svrcek getting the overtime winner; however, perhaps that feeling of being in a game can help them beat Finland on Saturday.

<strong>Game 12: Canada 2 Sweden 1</strong>

Canada vs Sweden was easily the tournament's most competitive, skilled and entertaining game. We should all hope they meet in the gold medal game on Saturday. Fans had to wait a while between goals after Benjamin Kindel scored to make it 1-0 Canada. Sweden responded quickly to Gavin McKenna's goal, which made it 2-0, scoring within minutes to make the final five interesting. However, the hosts held on and secured first in Group A.
<h2 class="sc-gXmSlM ymZom"><strong>OTHER THINGS WORTH MENTIONING…</strong></h2>
<ul>
 	<li>As assumed yesterday, Team Canada forward Braeden Cootes was suspended two games for his spear late in the Slovakia game. Depending on how the semi-final game goes for Canada, his first game back will either be the gold or bronze medal game.</li>
 	<li>For the fourth year in a row, Canada and Czechia each won their group. The last time was in 2021, when Russia and Slovakia finished first, also the year Canada didn't participate.</li>
 	<li>Finland finished 4th in Group B, its worst performance since 2018. It scored three goals, and its only lead came in Game 1 versus Germany, which they eventually lost.</li>
 	<li>Viktor Klingsell closed out the round-robin with 11 points. In the last tournament, Berkly Catton finished as the tournament lead with 10 points.</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="sc-gXmSlM ymZom"><strong>UP NEXT…</strong></h2>
Thursday is a day off from games for all the teams, and everyone will be back in action on Friday. Slovakia and Germany start the day in the battle for fifth, with Switzerland and Finland following them up in the Downtown Community Arena for seventh. In the evening, Canada will play the United States, and Sweden will face Czechia.

&nbsp;

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