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Canada won against Italy as expected, by a clear margin. © ANSA / CYRIL ZINGARO
Canada's star works her magic, but Italy remains brave.
After a four-year absence, Italy's national ice hockey team made its comeback at the World Championship on Saturday. The Azzurri suffered a predictably clear defeat against record world champions Canada, but avoided a humiliating defeat.
16 May 2026
From: dl
In a David versus Goliath clash, Canada defeated Italy 6-0. The nearly 6.500 spectators in Fribourg witnessed two spectacular goals from Macklin Celebrini. The 19-year-old Canadian captain showcased his exceptional talent, particularly with his second backhand goal. Celebrini played alongside legend Sidney Crosby, who is exactly twice the age of the rising superstar.
Davide Fadani was outstanding in goal for the Blue Team. The 25-year-old from EHC Kloten made several impressive saves against Canada's superstars in his adopted hometown, preventing a heavier defeat. Italy also showed great fighting spirit in other areas. The Azzurri battled for every puck and threw themselves in front of every shot, but the difference in class was clear. The way the Canadians retained possession of the puck – even along the boards – was truly impressive.
A bitter blow for the Azzurri: Phil Pietroniro scored what appeared to be the fourth goal late in the second period. However, the goal was disallowed for goaltender interference, a controversial decision: Matthew Bradley was pushed into the crease by a Canadian player. After reviewing the footage, the referees upheld their decision. This threw Italy off their game, and Canada scored twice before the final intermission to make it 6-0. In the final period, the impressive Marco Zanetti and his teammates kept a clean sheet.
The highlights
| Canada's Breastless | Just as the Azzurri were finding their rhythm, the deadlock was broken after nine minutes: Frigo was roughly separated from the puck in the offensive zone, and the Canadians launched a quick counterattack through Tavares and O'Reilly, which Holloway finished cleanly in front of the net. Only 47 seconds later, Canada was able to penetrate the zone unchallenged, and the puck found the back of the net again: Fadani made a glove save on Brown's shot, but Minten was there to poke the puck across the line for a 2-0 lead. |
| Celebrini's line | After Segafredo tested Talbot with a central shot at the other end, superstar Celebrini struck: Cozens delivered a beautiful cross, which the youngster converted with a thunderous first-time shot under the crossbar. Simply world-class, this 19-year-old Celebrini. |
| Celebrini! | What an incredible goal by Celebrini at the start of the second period! Cozens brings the puck into the danger zone, the teenager has his back to the net, but still manages to fire the puck into the top corner with his backhand. Fadani is helpless, and the stands erupt in thunderous applause for this masterful move. That was even more beautiful than the first goal. |
| That's awful. | In the 39th minute, Pietroniro scored what appeared to be Italy's fourth goal, making it 1-4. However, the goal was disallowed for alleged goaltender interference by Bradley. A chorus of boos erupted from the stands. Instead of 1-4, the score at the end of the second period was 6-0. The Maple Leafs capitalized on the power play with a precise one-timer from Bouchard. Just 25 seconds later, O'Reilly, who had been left unmarked in front of the net, increased the lead to 6-0 from a sharp angle. |
Italy's World Cup campaign continues in Switzerland on Sunday. The Blue Team will face their next opponent at 12:20 pm (live on [channel name]). SportNews-Ticker) on Slovakia.
Italy – Canada 0:6
ITA: Fadani (Smith); Pietroniro-Zanatta, Trivellato-Di Perna, Spornberger-Gios, Buono-Nitz; De Luca-Bradley-Purdeller, DiGiacinto-Frycklund-Saracino, Frigo-Mantenuto-Segafredo, Mantinger-Misley-Zanetti.Coach: Jalonen
DOG: Talbot (Greaves); Bouchard-Wotherspoon, DeMelo-Rielly, Nurse-Whitecloud, Mateychuk; Cozens-Celebrini-Crosby, Vilardi-Thomas-Scheifele, Holloway-O'Reilly-Tavares, Brown-Minten-Martone, Mercer.
Coach: Donskov
Gates: 0:1 Holloway (9.21), 0:2 Minten (10.08), 0:3 Celebrini (16.56), 0:4 Celebrini (22.09), 0:5 Bouchard (38.14), 0:6 O'Reilly (38.39)
Viewers: 6.455 spectators
World Championships in Switzerland: Group B
| Pos | Country | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Canada | 11:3 | 6 |
| 2. | Czechia | 6:4 | 4 |
| 3. | Slovakia | 2:1 | 3 |
| 4. | Slovenia | 3:2 | 2 |
| 5. | Norway | 1:2 | 0 |
| 6. | Sweden | 3:5 | 0 |
| 7. | Denmark | 1:4 | 0 |
| 8. | Italy | 0:6 | 0 |
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