‘It sucks’: Canada falls to Czechia in medal round for third straight world juniors

By Canadian Press on January 4, 2026.

SAINT PAUL — Gavin McKenna and Porter Martone stood alongside teammates with their heads down.

Behind them on the opposite blue line was a country belting out its national anthem after once again ending the powerhouse’s gold-medal dreams at the world junior hockey championship.

Tomas Poletin scored with 1:14 left in the third period as Czechia crushed Canadian hopes of topping the podium a third straight year with a 6-4 victory in the semifinals at the men’s under-20 tournament Sunday.

“It’s the same feeling,” said McKenna, one of six returnees back after losing to the same opponent in the quarters 12 months ago. “Letting your country down sucks.”

“Every single guy fought to the very end,” said Martone, Canada’s captain and another player tasting Czech defeat a second straight January. “A tough pill to swallow.”

Vojtech Cihar had two goals, including one into the empty net, for the Czechs, who also eliminated Canada at the quarterfinal stage in 2024. Combined with last year’s result, that marked the first time the sport’s giant failed to make the event’s final four in consecutive years.

Adam Benak and Maxmilian Curran, with a goal and two assists each, and Adam Titlbach provided the rest of the offence. Michal Orsulak made 20 saves. Titlbach added an assist for a two-point night.

“We were a little more hungry,” said Czech head coach Patrik Augusta. “The guys just showed that they are a team. They showed a lot of character and a lot of will.”

Tij Iginla, Zayne Parekh, Porter Martone and Cole Reschny replied for Canada. Jack Ivankovic stopped 31 shots. Michael Hage had two assists.

“It sucks,” Reschny said. “Terrible feeling.”

Czechia will play Sweden for gold on Monday after Canada faces Finland for bronze. The world junior final will not include Canada or the United States for the first time since 2016 when Finland beat Russia.

“We came here for a gold medal,” said Martone, whose country hasn’t played for bronze since 2014 or won it since 2012. “We’ve got a chance to respond.”

Poletin scored the winner when the puck just squeaked over Canada’s goal line off his skate after also hitting Michael Misa with 74 seconds left in regulation before Cihar iced it into the empty net.

“They just played grittier,” Misa said. “The whole game, they outcompeted us.”

Cihar gave the Czechs a 4-3 lead at 9:49 of the third after blowing past Canadian forward Caleb Desnoyers off the rush and beating Ivankovic in tight before Martone tucked home a loose puck with 2:41 remaining.

But Poletin scored the winner and Reschny was whistled for goalie interference with 53.7 seconds left to seal another Czech disappointment.

“They’re down,” Canadian head coach Dale Hunter said. “That’s hockey. Be a pro about it.”

Canada was slow out of the gate, but opened the scoring on a power play at 15:14 of the first when Iginla — the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla — fired home from Orsulak’s doorstep.

Czechia replied at 16:56 when Curran banged in a rebound. Canada, which dressed 12 forwards and eight defencemen, lost top-line winger Brady Martin to a suspected upper-body injury late in the period when he got the worst of a shoulder-to-shoulder hit on Czech defenceman Matyas Man.

Czechia went up 2-1 at 3:44 of the second when Titlbach fired past the stick-less Ivankovic.

Canada scored its second power-play goal of the night at 12:38 on a two-man advantage when Parekh fired a shot that appeared to go off forward Reschny — a fellow member of the Calgary Flames organization — in front.

Titlbach snapped a 2-2 tie with 42.8 seconds remaining in the second after Canadian defenceman Ethan MacKenzie turned the puck over. The Czechs raced the other way on an odd-man rush and Benak fired past Ivankovic before jumping into the glass at Grand Casino Arena.

Canada had a great chance to go ahead moments earlier when Hage was awarded a penalty shot. The centre’s first effort ended with a trip from Orsulak. Officials awarded the Montreal Canadiens prospect another chance, but Hage lost the handle at the critical moment to keep things knotted up.

“I had an empty net, and he tripped me,” Hage said. “I just thought he bit so hard I’d try the same thing.”

Reschny got Canada back even at 3:59 of the third when he drove in front and stuffed his shot past Orsulak before Cihar and Martone traded goals to set up the dramatic final act.

Canada beat Czechia 7-5 on Boxing Day in a game that had plenty of fireworks. Martone crossed the red line and bumped an opponent with his shoulder in warm-ups, while Parekh and fellow defenceman Kashawn Aitcheson also looked to intimidate before puck drop on Dec. 26.

Martone then took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in regulation for tapping Czech forward Adam Novotny’s backside and faced a disciplinary committee for the warm-up antics before later apologizing for his actions.

Canada, which beat Czechia for gold in overtime at the 2023 tournament in Halifax, also failed to shake hands after the final buzzer, which forced the sport’s national governing body to offer its own mea culpa.

“Very tough, but doing it for Canada,” McKenna said of playing for bronze. “We’ve got to regroup to be ready.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press