CANADA PULLS EVEN LATE, FALLS IN OT TO CZECHS

DAVID BRIEN

BRECLAV, Czech Republic – Shane Bowers (Halifax, N.S./Waterloo, USHL) tied the game with less than seven minutes to go, but Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Czech Republic on Saturday in its lone pre-tournament game ahead of the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup.

Michael Rasmussen (Surrey, B.C./Tri-City, WHL) had the other goal for the Canadians, who erased a pair of one-goal deficits to force the extra period, but fell victim to a Czech power play in overtime.

Both teams clamped down defensively early, but the Czechs broke through with the man advantage late in the first period; Martin Kaut slipped a shot past Canadian goaltender Michael DiPietro (Amherstburg, Ont./Windsor, OHL) for a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.

That was the only puck to beat DiPietro, who was replaced by Ian Scott (Calgary, Alta./Prince Albert, WHL) midway through the middle frame.

Canada immediately gave Scott offence to work with, drawing even on a power play of its own just 11 seconds after the change when Rasmussen tapped in a rebound after Owen Tippett (Peterborough, Ont./Mississauga, OHL) rang a shot off the cross-bar.

The Czechs made a goaltending switch of their own shortly after the Rasmussen goal, substituting Tomas Vomacka for starter Jakub Skarek.

Dalimil Mikyska restored the Czech lead before the end of the second period, squeezing a shot through Scott.

The Canadian penalty kill took over in the third, killing the first three Czech power plays in the final stanza, and giving Bowers the chance to tie the game; he took a pass in open space from Matthew Strome (Mississauga, Ont./Hamilton, OHL) and beat Vomacka for the 2-2 goal at 13:21.

But a late-period penalty doomed the Canadians, and Martin Necas took advantage very early in overtime, finishing a two-on-one with Kaut just 14 seconds in to give the Czechs the exhibition win.

Canada will make the trip to Bratislava, Slovakia, for the preliminary round of the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, facing off against Slovakia in its tournament opener on Monday (11:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. PT).