Joe Veleno and Sammy Blais had a goal and two assists each to help Canada down Kazakhstan 5-1
GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG
RIGA, Latvia – A four-goal first period helped Canada’s National Men’s Team picked up its fourth-consecutive win at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, defeating Kazakhstan 5-1 at Arena Riga on Wednesday.
- Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL) scored a pair of goals just 2:45 apart in the first period and earned Player of the Game honours.
- Joe Veleno (Kirkland, Que./Detroit, NHL) and Sammy Blais (Montmagny, Que./St. Louis, NHL) chipped in with a goal and two assists each.
- MacKenzie Weegar (Nepean, Ont./Calgary, NHL) opened the scoring 19 seconds into the game and added and assist, his third multi-point performance of the tournament.
- Joel Hofer (Winnipeg, Man./St. Louis, NHL) made 16 saves.
- Canada outshot Kazakhstan 40-17.
Next Game:
Canada vs. Switzerland – Saturday, May 20 (9:20 a.m. ET/6:20 a.m. PT)
TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.
Quotes:
“I am happy about how we have played through four games. The boys have been having fun together, they fight for each other and they care for each other. Structure-wise, they have been playing with their instincts and not over-thinking, and there is less confusion on the ice, which is common for a new team. We are starting to play with more pace, and we are getting close to where we want to be.”
“We have depth on our team, and we need to continue getting goals from up and down our lineup. Depth is one of the strengths of Canadian hockey, and we need everyone to keep contributing because we have four lines that can play in any situation.”
– Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on the team’s play through four games and the depth of the team
“We are trying to get better every day and learn things from every game. The ultimate goal is to win gold, and we are taking steps forward every day, but we need to keep playing to our identity and playing within our structure. [The Swiss] are a very structured team that have done a great job of keeping the puck out of their net, so we will need to do whatever we can to generate scoring chances and capitalize on those chances, and take care of the puck in our own zone.”
– Crouse on the team’s progress and facing Switzerland on Saturday
“It is great to be back playing for Team Canada. Any time you get to wear [the Canadian] jersey, it is super special. It is great to play in an international tournament again, and to reconnect with guys I have played with in the past and meet new teammates.”
“I think we are hitting our stride. We have improved every game, and everything we are doing now is building up to the medal round. We need to take things one game as a time, but we are definitely happy with our start to the tournament.”
– Hofer on playing for Team Canada and working towards the medal round
For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #IIHFWorlds.
