Ritchie wins gold with Canada at 2024 IIHF U18 World Hockey Championship
It was an exhilarating gold medal game on Sunday in Finland, but Ryder Ritchie and Team Canada won gold with a 6-4 win over the United States at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Hockey Championship.
After the US took a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes, Ritchie scored the equalizer to start the second period with a phenomenal individual effort down the right wing.
RYDER RITCHIE! 🔥#U18MensWorlds | #MondialMasculinM18pic.twitter.com/phoXmsKhhK
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) May 5, 2024
The US then took a 3-1 lead, but a five minute penalty allowed Canada to set up on a long powerplay. After they already made it a 3-2 game before the powerplay, Canada scored three goals on the same man advantage to take a 5-3 lead. Just over a minute after their fifth goal, the States responded to make it a 5-4 game, but Gavin McKenna sealed the deal with an empty net goal to give Canada a 6-4 lead, which they held onto to win gold.
It was a fantastic tournament for Ritchie, who tallied eight points (4G-4A) in seven tournament games. In both the semi final and the final, he tallied two points in each game, with a goal and an assist in both contests. He had one powerplay goal and a +3 rating through the whole tournament.