IIHF World Championship Day 5 Recap: MacKenzie Weegar in action as Canada rolls over France

It’s now Day 5 of the IIHF World Championship, and it’s one of the quieter days of the tournament for Calgary Flames players — with MacKenzie Weegar being the only Flame in action. Still, there was some entertaining hockey on tap.

Slovenia vs Latvia

After a quiet first period with no goals, both teams found their offensive spark in the second. Marcel Mahkovec opened the scoring for Slovenia, but Latvia responded quickly with three goals in just 3:33. Slovenia answered with a goal of their own, only for Latvia to reply again less than a minute later. That concluded a wild five-minute stretch and wrapped up the second period scoring.

In the third, Slovenia couldn’t muster a comeback — managing just two shots. Latvia added a late goal to seal the 5-2 win and put the game out of reach.

Slovenia remains winless in the tournament, while Latvia notches its second victory.

Next games:

• Slovenia: May 15 vs Finland

• Latvia: May 14 vs Sweden

Germany vs Norway

Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stützle joined Germany to give the team an extra boost as they looked to stay undefeated. It didn’t take long for him to make an impact, registering the primary assist on Yasin Ehliz’s goal just five minutes into the first. Germany added another before Norway got one back just before the period ended.

The second period was all Germany, who added two more goals to extend the lead to 4-1. In the third, former Lethbridge Hurricane (2009–11) Jacob Berglund scored for Norway, making things slightly more interesting. But Germany shut down any further Norwegian chances and added a late empty-netter to secure a 5-2 win.

Next games:

• Germany: May 15 vs Switzerland

• Norway: May 14 vs United States

Hungary vs Kazakhstan

Still searching for their first win, Hungary wasted no time grabbing the lead. Just 15 seconds in, Jari Hanos scored into an open net after Kazakhstan’s goalie was caught out of position. A late first-period goal doubled Hungary’s lead.

Kazakhstan pushed back in the second with a top-shelf snipe from Nikita Mikhailis from the face-off circle. But Hungary answered immediately to open the third, scoring just 14 seconds in. A fourth goal put the game out of reach despite a late power-play marker from Kazakhstan. At that point, it was too little, too late, and Hungary won 4-2.

Hungary’s first win of the tournament is also their first World Championship victory in nine years — a milestone moment for Hungarian hockey and a victory that could help them avoid relegation.

Next games:

• Hungary: May 15 vs Czechia

• Kazakhstan: May 14 vs Denmark

Canada vs France

It was another dominant outing for Canada, who cruised to a 5-0 win over France. Sidney Crosby scored his first goal of the tournament, while Bo Horvat netted his third and fourth, taking the tournament lead in goals.

With the win, Canada is one of only two teams still undefeated in regulation (the other being Germany) and now leads the tournament in goals with 16.

Though they were clearly outmatched, credit goes to France for limiting Canada’s Grade-A scoring chances and keeping the play mostly to the perimeter. Still, with Canada’s depth, the chances came — and it could’ve been worse on the scoreboard.

Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar didn’t record a point but had a solid bounce-back performance after his outing against Latvia. He consistently made smart, simple plays and fired several rockets from the point — though none beat the French netminder.

Next games:

• Canada: May 15 vs Austria

• France: May 14 vs Slovakia

Day 6 schedule

(All times MT.)

• Slovakia vs France – 8:20 a.m.

• United States vs Norway – 8:20 a.m.

• Latvia vs Sweden – 12:20 p.m.

• Kazakhstan vs Denmark – 12:20 p.m.

Day 6 will feature more Calgary Flames in action as Sam Honzek looks to build on his strong performance, while Rasmus Andersson and Mikael Backlund return to the ice for Sweden.