Olympic results 2018: Canada wins men’s hockey bronze medal

Canada topped the Czech Republic, 6-4, to win the men’s hockey bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics on Saturday morning. Chris Kelly and Andrew Ebbett each scored two goals in the victory, which keeps Canada on the podium for the third consecutive Winter Games.

A tournament without NHL players arguably hurt the Canadians more than anyone. They could’ve had Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, John Tavares, and Taylor Hall among the players at the top of their roster, but instead had to lean on the likes of Kelly, Rene Bourque, and Derek Roy.

The result was a team that got knocked out in stunning fashion by Germany in the quarterfinals, then needed to redeem itself with a win in the bronze medal game. That’s exactly what they did to bring home a medal to North America.

Ebbett, Kelly, and Roy each scored in the first period as Canada pulled out to a 3-1 lead. Neither team scored in the second period, but a wild back-and-forth stretch in the third period saw Canada extend its lead to 6-2. A late response by the Czechs to cut the lead in half wouldn’t be enough.

Defense is where Canada thrived in this tournament as it allowed only 12 goals in six games. Roy and Maxim Noreau led the way with seven points apiece, while Bourque and Wojtek Wolski were the leading goal scorers with three apiece.

This is the first time that Canada has won the Olympic bronze medal in men’s hockey since 1968. During the previous 10 Olympic Games, they won three gold medals and two silver medals while failing to earn a spot on the podium five times.