It became clear to Team Canada that winning the World Junior Hockey Championships again would be challenging. The Canadian team's roster was regarded by Hockey Insiders as one of the best ever, but the Czechs dealt the players a severe reality check.
With pressure applied early on, the Canadian team gave the Czech Republic a run for their money, with captain Shane Wright scoring the first goal. Unfortunately, team Canada made too much of an effort to score goals that belong on highlight reels, including two attempts of the move, the�Michigan in the first period.
On Team Canada's roster and top prospect for the Arizona Coyotes, Dylan Guenther, called out Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli for repeatedly attempting the Michigan move without any mercy:
«We're not going to �Michigan' our way to the final.» - Canada's Dylan Guenther
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Czechia, who had a 3-1 lead, silenced the cheering Canadian crowd in Halifax. When Bedard brought the score to 3-2, Canada felt upbeat.
Unfortunately, that was as close as Canada would go to winning this game; on the first day, team Czechia outscored Canada twice more to beat them 5-2.