Finnie Scores First International Goal in Canada Hockey Win
Emmitt Finnie scored his first international goal and added an assist as canada hockey beat Slovenia 3-1 on Friday at the world hockey championship. Canada stayed undefeated and moved to 14 points in Group B, widening its lead atop the standings.
Finnie Breaks Through For Canada
The 20-year-old forward, selected in the seventh round of the 2023 draft, finished with the kind of night that can turn a roster spot into something more durable. He was named Canada’s player of the game after a goal and an assist in a game where the team needed its depth to carry part of the load.
“It feels great (to score), and if anyone told me nine months ago that I would be (at world championship), I would have said they were crazy,” Finnie said after scoring against Slovenia. After the award came later, he added, “It has been a lot of fun here, and I have had a lot of support from everyone, so it feels great. We need to keep playing our game, never be satisfied and keep working hard.”
Mateychuk And Cozens Add Goals
Denton Mateychuk opened the scoring in the first period, and Dylan Cozens pushed Canada further ahead in the second. Those goals mattered because Canada’s offensive stars were largely quiet, leaving the scoring to a smaller group of contributors.
Rozle Bohinc cut into the margin with 65 seconds left, but the late goal never changed the result. Canada’s structure held, and Jet Greaves backed it with 13 saves while Slovenia goalie Zan Us stopped 29 shots at the other end.
Canada Tops Group B
Canada now has 14 points from four regulation wins and one overtime victory, and that total keeps it in front in Group B. Slovakia sits three points back in Pool B, while Czechia is four behind, so the final pair of preliminary-round games still carries weight for the table even after Friday’s win.
Finnie’s rise has been steady enough to show why this one stood out. After 82 games as a Detroit Red Wings rookie this season, with 17 goals and 13 assists, he has already moved from an NHL depth piece into a player Canada can lean on when the game tightens.
