In games earlier today, Canada Ice were first to the floor to meet the #5 seeded Swedes, while the Nordiques followed up by playing the British team seeded in 6th position.

According to one of the Nordiques players, the Ice did not get off to a good start and had some difficulty catching up, although they did narrow the gap to only two goals at one point in the game. However, the experienced gained by the Ice, which features many international rookies, is invaluable. Given the small number of players on the split Canadian team, the Ice players each received maximum of floor time. It is also encouraging to see that they remained competitive against a strong international team like the Swedes.

The Nordiques fared better against their overseas opponents, as they ended up defeating the British National Team by a 5 or 6 goal margin, which is the same margin that the Ice had in their loss to the Swedes. Both games featured big hits from the Canadian heavy hitters to the delight of the crowd and the photographers.

The next Canadian game comes in a few minutes at 2:30 today; with the North American continental rivals meeting each other in split squad action. Ian Chan’s Canada Ice team meets Steve Pate’s undefeated USA Stars team. In a later match, the Canada Nordiques, led by Garett Hickling, will meet the #1 seeded team that goes by the name of USA Stripes.