Captain Porter Martone dazzled with a hat trick. His linemate Gavin McKenna, the 16-year-old Canadian wunderkind projected to go #1 overall in 2026, also shone with a goal and two assists. Ryder Ritchie added a goal and an assist.
Making his tournament debut, Canadian goalie Ryerson Leenders, the starter for the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads, recorded 26 saves for the win.
Kim Koerbler had the lone goal for Switzerland, which was outshot 34-27 on the night.
This didn’t look like a blowout at the outset. Swiss coach Patrick Schoeb’s troops came out adrenalized and physical, outshooting Canada 15-6 in the first period.
Switzerland nearly opened the scoring on its first power play when Jamiro Reber dinged one off the iron. Leenders was sharp to deny Robin Antenen on a one-timer from the slot.
The Swiss defended tenaciously during their first penalty kill, where Canada mounted some late-period pressure. Swiss starting goalie Christian Kirsch denied Malcolm Spence from point-blank range after the penalty expired.
In the first minute of the second period, Kirsch said no to Spence again on a breakaway. And then the teams traded goals 10 seconds apart.
First, it was Koerbler picking off a pass in the Swiss end and going end-to-end to squeeze a wrister through Leenders at 2:47. Koerbler knows the Canadian style well as a member of the OHL’s Ottawa 67s.
Swiss joy was short-lived. Off the ensuing centre-ice faceoff, Canada’s Kashawn Aitcheson pinched in to fool Kirsch on the short side.
McKenna gave Canada its first lead when he danced down right wing, cut to the net, and pushed the puck through Kirsch at 5:55.
Just 28 seconds later, on a broken play off the rush, Cole Beaudoin got the puck to Marek Vanacker for a one-timer that made it 3-1. Canada was also pulling ahead in the physicality department, as exemplified by a huge open-ice bodycheck by rearguard Charlie Elick on Leon Muggli.
Moments after Leenders denied Kevin Haas on a shorthanded breakaway, Martone put the game out of reach at 34:02. Following up on another spectacular rush by McKenna, he batted the rebound in out of mid-air.
At 15:29, Ritchie hammered a one-timer from the slot for his first goal of the tournament and a 5-1 lead. Tij Iginla’s snipe from the right faceoff circle…
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