Joey Lies got to write a storybook ending for the Canadian junior ball hockey team this week, scoring the game-winning goal to clinch a world junior bronze medal for Canada.
Lies, a Flin Flon native who played this past season with the Bombers, headed to Liberec, Czechia this month for the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation (ISBHF) World Junior Championships as part of Canada's national under-18 men's ball hockey team. In Czechia, Team Canada opened the tournament with a 4-3 win over Team USA July 3. That was followed by a 3-2 loss to Slovakia July 4, then a 5-3 loss to the host Czechs later in the day. Team Canada finished the round-robin round with a commanding 12-2 win over Switzerland, finishing third in their pool.
That put Canada and Lies into the semifinal, losing their chance at a gold medal with a 4-2 loss to the Slovaks, setting up a match with the USA for a bronze medal.
In that bronze medal game, Team USA got out to an early lead, going up 1-0 before Canada tied the game in the second period. The Americans then popped two quick goals in, going up 3-1, before Canada clawed back in the third period.
First, James Zazula Campbell found the twine for Canada, cutting the lead to one, then Corson Maguire scored less than 30 seconds later. With less than five minutes to go, the Canadians had tied things up.
With the two teams poised to head back to overtime like their first game, Lies had a chance to finish things for the red and white. With just over a minute left on the clock, Lies picked up a loose ball in the slot and walked in over the blue line, faking a slapshot to create space, then firing a wrister on American goalie Bryce Scanlon from 50 feet out. The shot handcuffed the American goalie, sneaking past him and into the net, leading to jubilation for Team Canada, teammates mobbing Lies and Canada going up a goal with only moments to go.
The Canadians would hold on to the 4-3 lead, winning the bronze medal. After receiving their hardware, the squad paid tribute to one of their fallen members - the jersey of Logan Schatz, a former national team ball hockey player and Humboldt Bronco star who died in the team's infamous bus crash in 2018, was draped at centre rink with the trophy received by Team Canada laid down by it. Players took a knee and bowed their heads, medals on their necks, in silent tribute to Schatz.
