The game was supposed to be a no-hitter.
Bodychecking is not allowed in peewee hockey but Team Finland obviously didn't get the memo, as the Canadian Triple-A Explorers found out in the final of their World Tournament two weeks ago in Zell am See, Austria.
"There was a lot of hitting, it depended on the refs," said 12-year-old Nicolas Braaten of Prince George, who played left wing for the Explorers. "There were a couple of dirty hits in the Finland game and that led to a few punches. We got them back a bit.
"We had to leave it all on the ice. Everybody was really happy and energetic on the ice because it was our last game together. It was a cool experience - the opportunity of a lifetime."
Hearing players speak different languages made the hockey experience unique for the Explorers.
"We all thought they were chirping us, it was weird," said Braaten. "We didn't know what they were saying in the handshake."
Finland beat the Canadians 7-0 in the championship game to win the 16-team tournament, which also included teams from Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria.
Prince George's Jacob Ross was also a member of the Canadian team.
"It was nerve-wracking representing Canada," Braaten said. "I knew if we played bad, everybody would think Canada was bad at that (2003-born or younger) age group. It put pressure on us. It was good we got medals.
"The games were all on big-sized ice and it took us two or three games to bond as a team because we'd never played together."
The Explorers were made up predominantly of Alberta players. The team was picked by Peter Lemir of Bashaw, Alta., a native of the Czech Republic who has been involved with the International Hockey Exchange for 24 years. The organization facilitates hockey trips for Canadian teams to Europe and also brings European minor hockey teams to Canada.
Braaten and Ross, 11, played rep hockey this past season for the Prince George Viking Construction peewee Tier 2 Cougars. Lemir saw the boys play for the Prince George Thundercats last year in the Alberta Challenge Cup spring hockey tournament in Calgary.
During their European tour the Explorers played 15 games in 16 days. In the first week Canada defeated a Czech team for bronze at the eight-team Fuessen Cup. From there they went to Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, for exhibition games. Before each game they gave their opponents pins and small Canadian flags as gifts.
In Austria, Braaten left the ice wearing the jersey of Finland's top scorer after they swapped sweaters. He also came home with a Team Switzerland jersey from the Fuessen Cup tournament, played in Heidelberg, Germany, a week before the world tournament.
Braaten thought he deserved a new Bauer stick which went to the winner of the fastest skater in the skills competition at the world event but it was given to the other finalist, despite video confirmation which showed Braaten crossing the line ahead of the other skater.
For the Explorers, the European trip brought more than just hockey experiences. In Germany, it's not unusual for public washrooms to have pay toilets, and that took a busload of Canadian hockey players by surprise.
"The kids had to go to the bathroom so bad and the bus finally stopped and all the kids ran in and they all came back right away (because they didn't have coins)," said Marni Braaten, Nicolas's mother. "They had to go so bad they all went at the side of the road."
