Canada Rallies Past Finland 6-3 for Bronze at 2026 World Juniors McKenna, Hage pile up four points each as Canada ends its podium drought in St. Paul

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Canada did what Canada usually does when the games get uncomfortable: it turned the dial up, scored in bunches, and left Finland chasing. Behind four-point nights from Gavin McKenna and Michael Hage, Canada beat Finland 6-3 to capture the bronze medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The win ended Canada’s medal drought dating back to its 2023 gold, and it provided a needed finish after another playoff loss to Czechia kept the Canadians out of the final. Finland, fresh off last year’s silver and a quarterfinal upset of the United States, went home without hardware.

The tone was set immediately. Sam O’Reilly opened the scoring 1:10 into the game, finishing a 2-on-1 to put Canada in front. Finland answered quickly at 3:23, with Arttu Valila snapping a shot past Carter George. Braeden Cootes restored Canada’s lead from the slot at 4:57, but Finland struck again on the power play as Julius Miettinen hammered a one-timer at 11:58 to make it 2-2.

Canada’s power play separated the first period. Zayne Parekh stepped into space and ripped a shot home at 18:41 to send Canada to intermission up 3-2, a goal that also pushed him into Canadian World Junior history. Parekh finished the tournament with 13 points, setting a new Canadian single-tournament record for points by a defenseman.

Canada padded the lead early in the second. Captain Porter Martone converted a quick-touch sequence at 1:42, and O’Reilly struck again at 5:27 on the power play to make it 5-2. Finland had its push, with Heikki Ruohonen cutting the gap at 14:27, but that was as close as it got.

Finland carried play for long stretches in the third and finished with a 35-34 edge in shots, but Canada found the backbreaker. McKenna and Hage connected to create the final goal at 13:35, with McKenna finishing to seal the 6-3 result.

Hage ended the tournament as the points leader at 15, fueled by four assists in the bronze medal game and a tournament-best 13 assists overall. For Canada, it was a fitting cap in a game that never pretended it would be a defensive clinic, and a reminder that even when the gold chase ends early, the talent and pace in a Canada lineup rarely take a night off.

photo: Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF