The Under 17 World Hockey Challenge Gold Medal match featured an all-Canadian final, pitting Canada White against Canada Red. Despite the two teams being from the same country, this matchup gave fans the look and feel of an old-fashioned rivalry game.
Related:2025 Under 17 World Hockey Challenge – Semi-finals Recap
Ultimately, Canada Red ended hopes that Canada White would, like them, achieve three consecutive championships won their first U17 World Challenge gold medall.
Golden game
The match started as if both teams were shot out of a cannon. Both teams pushed the pace early and the team captains, Alexis Joseph (Red) and Maddox Schultz (White), led the way as they both set the tone with their speed. The two teams traded chances early on with blistering pace and end-to-end action. But it was Red who opened the scoring with a brilliant attacking zone play that saw Joseph roll from the half wall to the blue line, drawing in two defenders before dropping the puck back to the half wall, where Charlie Murata, who had slid unchallenged into the high slot, intervened and fired a shot over the shoulder of goalkeeper Sam Berthiaume.
Brock Chitaroni tied the game with a laser from the high slot, but a minute later Red regained the one-goal lead with a goal via Loik Gariepe’s stick. White then started to ramp up the physicality and both teams found themselves in penalty trouble, but neither side was able to capitalize as both penalty killing (PK) units were highly effective. Then, with one minute left in the first, Mirco Dufour gave Red a two-goal lead as they went into the second ahead three to one.
The second period started like the first, with both teams fighting to control the game using physicality and pace. But it was Red who struck first in this middle frame, making it 4-1 after a goal from Ryerson Edgar, who came in as third man and received a perfect pass from Blake Chorney, who was able to draw two defenders towards him, opening the slot where Edgar had an open shot on the net.
Canada White then started working his way into the match, starting with a late goal in the second period from Kaden McGregor. The third period started with the Reds leading 4-2 and both teams once again fighting for every inch of the ice, leading to another series of penalties. White’s third line gained some momentum as Brenner Lammens played the role of super-pest as he buzzed around the net and got under the skin of the Red’s defense throughout the tournament.
This seemed to ignite White as the top line came onto the ice after a very energetic shift on that third line. The top line played hard-nosed hockey, crashing the net and forcing a Red defenseman to cover the puck in the crease, earning White a penalty shot. Maddox Schultz made a brilliant deke to make the lead 4-3 with five minutes remaining.
Canada White pulled their goalie with almost three minutes left. They put pressure on the Red defense, but after a few blocked shots, Blake Chorney was able to push the puck loose in the neutral zone, allowing Camryn Warren to jump on the loose puck and take a long shot to score into the empty net. But White didn’t roll over and kill the clock, they went for it again and pulled the goalkeeper with them, and as Team White defender Thomas Charbonneau said, they “… fought and worked hard to the end”.
Unfortunately for them, Benjamin Veitch played an almost identical goal to the fifth goal, scoring into the empty net and sealing a 6-3 victory for Canada Red.
“What an amazing feeling to win this tournament so close to home. This group of boys have done so well over the last two weeks and I’m so grateful to be a part of it. What an amazing feeling… my first time playing for my country and completing it in front of a sold out barn, family and friends is something I’ve always dreamed of and it’s even better than I could have imagined.”
-Benjamin Veitch (Canada Red forward)
This tournament had many incredible performancesmaking it very difficult to select who most deserved an all-star nod.
In addition to these all-stars, there will be many names from this tournament that will be mentioned during the 2027 and 2028 NHL Entry Drafts. As the first major international tournament for young players, it is the introduction of these young players to international competition and is their way of introducing themselves to the world. There are hundreds of young men who have moved on from this tournament to the NHL, many top picks, and this year’s group will add to that long list of NHLers.
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