--- title: "Canada beats Slovenia in Fribourg, Switzerland 3-1; extends unbeaten run to five wins" sdDatePublished: "2026-05-23T13:39:00Z" source: "https://www.olympics.com/en/news/mens-2026-iihf-ice-hockey-world-championship-canada-beats-slovenia-3-1-maintain-unbeaten-run" topics: - name: "sport event" identifier: "medtop:20001108" - name: "ice hockey" identifier: "medtop:20000965" - name: "sport" identifier: "medtop:15000000" locations: - "Norway" - "Sarine" - "Italy" - "Denmark" - "Finland" - "Slovenia" - "United States" - "Zürich" - "Slovakia" - "Canada" - "Switzerland" --- Canada beats Slovenia in Fribourg, Switzerland 3-1; extends unbeaten run to five wins Men's 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship: Canada beats Slovenia 3-1 to maintain unbeaten run Men's 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship: Canada beats Slovenia 3-1 to maintain unbeaten run Dylan Cozens, Denton Mateychuk, and Emmitt Finnie led the unbeaten Canadians to a 3-1 win over Slovenia in Fribourg, Switzerland. Canada continued their unbeaten run in the preliminary round of the2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championshipon Friday (22 May) with a more comfortable victory than they'd achieved on Thursday. One day aftersurviving a tense battle with Norway, the Canadians secured their fifth win of theice hockeytournament with a3-1 victory over Sloveniain Fribourg, Switzerland. Despite needing 40 minutes to finally break through against Norway, Canada wasted no time finding its rhythm against Slovenia, opening the scoring just 11 minutes into the first period. Defensive structure was clearly a priority after conceding five goals to Norway, and it showed early as Slovenia managed only two shots on goal in the opening period. The breakthrough came 11 minutes into the first period whenDenton Mateychukburied his second goal of the tournament. The 21-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman has built a reputation as an offensive threat from the blue line, scoring 13 goals this NHL season in Columbus. The goal was assisted by 20-year-oldEmmitt Finnie, who is making both his IIHF World Championship debut and his first appearance representing Canada internationally, something he called “such a cool experience” after recording his first point in a Canadian jersey. Canada’s top line generated plenty of dangerous shots throughout the period, even if the finish wasn’t always there. Dylan CozensandMacklin Celebrinishowed great chemistry, whileSidney Crosbysettled naturally into his familiar role as the playmaking catalyst. Crosby’s vision and patience helped create several quality opportunities, including the setup on Mateychuk’s opener. Men's 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship: All scores, group standings, game schedule Relive the magic of Ice Hockey at 2026 Winter Olympics 🏒 Sign up free for full replays, highlights, and medal moments - anytime. All with a FREE Olympic Membership. Sign up now 🏅 Whatever was said in Slovenia’s locker room between periods appeared to spark a far more energised team to take to the ice in the second period, upping their shots as well as their intensity. Still, it was Canada that struck again. Dylan Cozenscapitalised on a bizarre sequence afterDarnell Nurse’s stick shattered on a shot attempt, his stick flying 19 feet in the air, before leaving a loose puck sitting dangerously in front of goal. Cozens pounced to double Canada’s lead, scoring his third goal of the tournament and bringing his career total to 29 goals across the World Juniors and IIHF World Championship tournaments. “I owe Nursey on that one,” Cozens said between periods. The first power play opportunity of the game came later in the period. As frustration mounted, the Slovenians pushed the limits of what officials were willing to allow, eventually giving Canada the man advantage. Canada, however, could not convert on the opportunity, and the second period closed with the Canadians holding a 2-0 lead and leading 25 -7 in shots. Men's Ice Hockey Review | Milano Cortina 2026 Men's ice hockey in Milan saw two giants of the game, Canada and the United States, end up in the final against each other that led to a thrilling overtime victory by the Americans. Finland also put up a dominant performance over Slovakia to secure the bronze medal. After picking up his first point of the tournament in the second period, Finnie added another milestone in the third,scoring his first goal for Canadato extend the lead to 3-0. It marked yet another moment in what has already been a memorable season for the 20-year-old forward. Finnie recorded a 30-point rookie campaign with the Detroit Red Wings, scoring his first NHL goal in October 2025. Now, less than a year later, he has added his first IIHF World Championship goal to his resume and was named Canada’sPlayer of the Game. The Slovenians eventually broke through late in the third period asRozle Bohincscored Slovenia’s first and only goal of the night, finishing a setup fromJan Golicicto deny Canadian goaltenderJet Greavesthe shutout. Canada now turns its attention to matchups against Slovakia on 24 May and Czechia on 26 May. Slovenia, meanwhile, faces Denmark already tomorrow (23 May) and Italy on 25 May. Canada is chasing its first World Championship medal since 2023 after fourth- and fifth-place finishes in the last two tournaments. The quarterfinals begin Thursday, 28 May, with the medal games set for Sunday, 31 May. Ice Hockey | Men's World Championship | Zurich & Fribourg| Switzerland