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Medicine Hat Tigers forward Liam Ruck celebrates the first of his two goals, the eventual game winner, in Canada’s 5-0 win Wednesday over Czechia at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Brno, Czechia.
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The semifinals of the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup may have Medicine Hat Tigers fans divided.
Team Canada with Tigers forwards Markus and Liam Ruck will face the United States with Tabbies’ forwards Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll and Noah Davidson on Friday at 11 a.m. MST with a spot in the gold medal final on the line.
Canada finished the preliminary round of the U18 tournament with a 3-0 record, blanking Czechia 5-0 on Wednesday. Liam Ruck scored the game winner and added a goal in the third period to lead the offence in the win.
Older twin brother Markus had an assist on Liam’s first goal. Liam has two goals and four points in three games, Markus has a trio of assists in the tournament. The pair were reunited on a line with former OHA Okanagan teammate and Spokane Chief forward Mathis Preston, a welcomed return.
“It was nice to be back on a line with) Markus and Mathis Preston) and we were able to click instantly,” Liam Ruck said in a release. “(The United States) is always a great team at any level and they play fast. We need to be ready to match that in the semifinals and we have a good, deep team so we are ready for the challenge.”
The United States beat Germany 8-1 on Wednesday morning to finish the preliminary round with a 2-1 record. Davidson had two assists in the win, giving him three points, with the game winning goal in a 6-3 win over Slovakia on Monday. Gordon-Carroll has a goal and an assist in three tournament games.
Canada enters the playoff round looking to capture a fourth straight gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Saturday’s finals for both bronze and gold get underway at 9 a.m. MST.
