Canada put together a strong team effort in its first game at the world junior championship on Thursday night.
Boosted by a boisterous crowd of 17,977 at the Canadian Tire Centre, the home team defeated Finland 4-0 with a final result that sent everyone home singing.
Gavin McKenna, Easton Cowan, Luca Pinelli and Matthew Schaefer had the Canada goals.
Carter George, a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2024 NHL draft, was brilliant, especially in the third period, to post the shutout, making 31 saves.
As good as he was, George had plenty of help from shot-blocking teammates, especially on Canada’s penalty-killing units.
McKenna, who scored the winner in Canada’s final tuneup against Czechia, picked up where he left off with an ice-breaking goal in the final minute of the opening period.
The 17-year-old Medicine Hat Tiger showed persistence on the play as he did with his first of two on Monday, getting his own rebound and firing a shot high over Petteri Rimpinen.
Returning Canadian defenceman Oliver Bonk, the son of former NHLer Radek Bonk, drew the lone assist.
Cowan, the Maple Leafs’ first-round pick in 2023, put Canada ahead by two with an unassisted effort when he beat Rimpinen on the stick side just past the five-minute mark of the second.
From there, the Canadians continued to have the edge in play but couldn’t put the puck past Rimpinen until Pinelli, the captain of the Ottawa 67’s, scored from in close with less than five minutes left after some nice work by defenceman Caden Price.
Schaefer iced the victory with an empty-netter 18.6 seconds from the final buzzer.
It was the last of Canada’s 41 shots on goal.
George was selected player of the game for Canada while his Finnish counterpart, Rimpinen, earned the post-game honour for his team.
The next game for Canada is Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Canadian Tire Centre against Latvia.
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