CRIMMITSCHAU, Germany – Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team has finished in fourth place at the 2011 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, dropping a 6-4 decision to Russia in Sunday’s bronze medal game.

Canada finished the preliminary round in second place in Group B with a 3-1 record and finished second in Group B. They advanced past Germany 4-3 in the quarter-finals before dropping a heart-breaking 5-4 overtime decision to the United States in Saturday’s semifinal.

On Sunday, Canada held a 2-1 lead in the second period before allowing four unanswered goals to the Russians. Ryan Murray (White City, Sask./Everett, WHL) and Brett Ritchie (Orangeville, Ont./Sarnia, OHL) scored to cut the lead to 5-4 in the final minute, but the Canadians came up a goal short.

Ryan Murphy (Aurora, Ont./Kitchener, OHL) scored once and added three assists for Canada, finishing the tournament with 13 points, a record for a Canadian at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, eclipsing the previous mark of 12 set by Pierre-Marc Bouchard in 2002 and equaled by Cody Hodgson in 2008. Murphy was also named the tournament’s top defenceman.

Canada finished seventh at last year’s IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Minsk and Bobruisk, Belarus.