It was overtime in the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Canada and the Czech Republic were battling deep into overtime.
With just 11 seconds left, Canadian winger Malcolm Spence swiped the puck away from the two Czech defenders and closed in one-on-one on the goalie.
Spence danced toward the left of the cage, making the goalie lunge out of position and expose the open goal. Spence did not miss, slotting home the gold-medal-winning goal in the under-18 tournament.
“He’s got a very, very good stick,” said Kris Mallete, Spence’s coach this past season with the OHL Erie Otters, who first watched Spence play in that international final. “It enables him to break up a lot of plays. It’s a little sneaky.”
