It was a golden moment for Canada Thursday night as the Canadians walked away with a 3-2 win over Czechia to win the World Junior Hockey Championship.
And while the party has been raging in Halifax ever since, Saskatchewan has had its fair share of celebrating as well.
It was a special moment for Saskatoon’s Kevin Korchinski and Davidson’s Nolan Allan, as both players helped bring a pair of gold medals to Saskatchewan.
“It took a minute and I started getting the tears… It was pretty exciting and the crowd just went nuts,” Nolan’s mother Kelly Allan said as she described the moments after the overtime game winning goal.
The Allan family was all in attendance at the game, and was even sitting directly beside Dylan Guenther’s parents, who scored the game winning goal.
“I have never been in a rink that was that loud before. It was awesome and I can’t even describe how crazy it was,” she said. “It was a once in a lifetime experience for sure.”
Allan’s former head coach with the Saskatoon U18 blazers, Scott Scissons, said the victory is incredibly well deserved.
“I’m proud of Nolan,” Scissons said. “He’s put the time in, he’s put in his work and effort. It’s nice to see good things happen to good people and we’re awfully proud of Nolan.”
Kevin Korchinski’s family was also in attendance for the game and said seeing their son hold up the trophy was a moment to remember.
“The Canadian pride was just amazing. They were singing O’ Canada and it was a really cool moment,” said Stacey Patenaudeo, Kevin’s mother. “To see your son get a gold medal is incredible.”
She said the long practices and the crazy emotions were all worth it in the end.
“It felt like everything came together and I was just so happy,” she said. “Dreams do come true.”
And while the World Juniors are over, it won’t be the last time Allan and Korchinski see each other as both players currently play for the Seattle Thunderbirds and were both drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks.
In the future, their careers may go separate ways. But they will always have the gold medal and the province of Saskatchewan to connect them.