Written by Michael Reeve
A 6-1 loss to Team Canada marks the end of Merritt Centennial forward Daniel Tkac’s World Junior Championship. The ‘Slovakian Superman’ was the first Merritt Centennial in team history to play in the Juniors.
While the Slovaks fell well short of the podium, their eighth-place finish secures a spot in next year’s tournament in Alberta.
Tkac started hot, scoring the game-winning goal in what would be the Slovaks only victory of the tourney, 3-1 over Kazakhstan. The Cent would follow that up with a power-play assist versus Finland.
From that point on Tkac was held off the scoresheet but continued to gain the trust of Head Coach Robert Petrovicky. Tkac was utilized in all aspects of the game for Team Slovakia, figuring prominently on the second power-play unit as well as getting shifts on the penalty kill and the third line.
Tkac is now set to return to the Cents for the unofficial second half of the BCHL season and the stretch run towards the playoffs.
Before heading off to the Slovakian camp, Tkac led the Cents with 23 points. Despite missing nine games in December Tkac still sits third in team scoring.
The Cents will begin their 2020 slate with back-to-back-to-back games against the Trail Smoke-Eaters, starting tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 3) at the NVMA.
