Youth Olympics kick-off Saturday for Rucks, Gordon-Carroll
By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on January 26, 2024.
sports@medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews Medicine Hat Tigers fans will have to get up early to watch a pair of prospects on the national stage. Markus and Liam Ruck will suit up for Team Canada on Saturday in the first game of the Youth Olympics held in Gangwon, Republic of Korea. They’ll face the Republic of Korea in their first game, with puck drop at 4 a.m. MST. Team United States and U.S. draft selection Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll face Slovakia, with that game getting underway Friday at 10 p.m. Each team has two round-robin contests, with Canada facing Finland at 4 a.m. on Monday, Team U.S. will face Czechia Sunday night at 10 p.m. The semifinals start Tuesday and playoffs continue until the medal rounds on Wednesday. Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins says he may not be awake to watch the games live at 4 a.m. but will be sure to watch the highlights of Canada and the United States games. “It’ll be exciting for Markus and Liam to play, as it is for Carroll and the U.S.” Desjardins said. “We’ve got three guys there and it’ll be exciting to watch them. It’s the fourth rendition of the Youth Olympics, with games held every four years featuring athletes from the ages of 15-18. 9-8
