It was a nearly full house in the NexSource Centre on Aug. 3, as many came out to watch Sylvan Lake’s first international hockey game.
Team USA took on Team Slovakia in an exhibition game, part of the lead up to the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
While the score may not show it, the game was actually quite close. Though Team USA is going into the tournament with a win already in their pocket.
Team USA won over Team Slovakia 10-4. Hockey fans in the arena said Team USA got in a few lucky shots on Team Slovakia early in the game, but by the end of the first period, it was clear who was going to come out on top.
The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is being held right now, and is hosted by two Alberta cities, Red Deer and Edmonton. The tournament, a best-of-the-best U18 international tournament, runs from Aug. 6-11, with the playoff games hosted in Edmonton.
This is the first year Canada has hosted the tournament, normally the Hlinka Gretzky Cup - previously known as the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup - is played in Czechoslovakia. Canada will now host the tournament every other year.
Team Canada is looking to defend their title this year, and are already on the right track. Team Canada has won their first two games, as of publication.
