Canada's Gavin McKenna #9 scores a second period goal against USAÕs Nicholas Kempf #31 while Tij Iginla #24 and Will Skahan #27 look on during Gold Medal Game action at the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Metro Arena on May 5, 2024 in Espoo, Finland. (Andre Ringuette/IIHF)

By Eli J. Ridder | @EliRidder

Medicine Hat Tigers hero Gavin McKenna leads Canada to U18 victory

May 6, 2024 | 3:19 PM

Gavin McKenna continues to amaze and now he’s etched into the history books.

McKenna, of the Medicine Hat Tigers, scored a hat trick on his way to lead Team Canada to a 6-4 victory over the United States in the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship gold medal game.

It was in front of a sold-out crown in Espoo, Finland, that the junior Team Canada was able to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat as they came back from a 3-1 deficit thanks to goals from McKenna to tie it up by the third period.

“The best feeling in the world,” McKenna said, according to an IIHF news release.

“You know, it’s a family in that room there. George kept us in it when we needed him. And just from our defence to our offence, we were all clicking, and that’s an unbelievable feeling. I’ll remember this forever.”

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