Spectators dressed in white cheer for the Ukraine peewee team during their game against the Boston Junior Bruins, Saturday, February 11, 2023 at Quebec’s international peewee tournament in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

QUEBEC - Maksym Kukharenko scored a power-play goal in the first period, Ivan Bilozerov added an insurance marker in the third and netminder Matvii Kulish stopped every shot he faced as Ukraine Team Select defeated the Romania Wolves 2-0 on Monday night at the Quebec International Peewee Hockey Tournament.

The Ukrainians, who have been celebrated around town since their arrival some two weeks ago, are three wins from clinching a spot in the tournament Class AA championship on Sunday. They advanced to play the Vermont Flames Academy on Friday.

Team Ukraine Select, made up of 11- and 12-year-old Ukrainian refugees who had been scattered across Europe by war, received a thunderous welcome from fans.

On Saturday Team Ukraine beat the Boston Junior Bruins 3-1 in the tournament's M13 AA Division.

The renowned hockey tournament includes more than 2,200 players from 15 countries spanning three continents and has been attended in the past by all-time greats such as Wayne Gretzky and Guy Lafleur.

On Friday, Quebec Premier François Legault encouraged Quebecers to show support for the Ukrainian team and called it a "unique moment" for the young players.

Patrick Dom, general manager of the Quebec tournament, said he could have never imagined the type of response generated by the Ukrainian team's participation.

"If for the time that they're going to be here, they just can forget what's going on over there and where they live … that's what we want," Dom said. "They will remember this for the rest of their life."

Appearing more accustomed to playing in front of large crowds after a slow start in winning their opening game two days earlier, Kukharenko scored 4:37 into the 10-minute first period off a shot from the left point that appeared to deflect in off a Romanian defender. The tournament doesn't keep track of shots, Kulish's save total is unknown. His best came a minute into the second period, when he turned aside a shot from Alexandru-Andrei Dan at the left post.

Bilozerov capped the scoring by converting a rebound with 61 seconds remaining.

The game was played in front of a much smaller crowd than the estimated near-capacity 18,000 blue-and-white flag waving fans who turned out for the Ukrainian’s 3-1 tournament-opening win over the Boston Junior Bruins. The lower bowl was only half full, but mostly made up of Ukrainian fans.

A smaller contingent of Romanian fans were gathered in one section, and made their presence known with chants, songs and the banging of cowbells.

Tournament officials don’t release attendance figures, but the crowd on Monday was still far larger than the 20 or so people Selects forward Zahar Kovalenko said he was used to playing in front of in Ukraine. The nerves showed on Saturday, with Ukraine overcoming a 1-0 deficit by scoring three times in the final five minutes.

The Ukrainian’s presence has placed a larger global spotlight on the 63-year-old tournament with the war in Ukraine showing signs of once again escalating, a little under a year since Russia’s invasion began.

The Selects are regarded as symbol of peace for Ukraine and hope for a better future, and they’ve merited mention from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The matchup of teams from bordering nations featured several coincidences. Romania is where the Ukrainians held training camp before arriving in Quebec City some two weeks ago. Romania was chosen because that’s where coach Evgheniy Pysarenko now lives, and began holding camps for players after watching many youth fleeing Ukraine with hockey equipment in tow.

And the Romanian team’s presence in the tournament stems from Pysarenko, who recommended to the nation’s hockey officials to seek sending a team to the Quebec City tournament four years ago.

-- With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2023.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2023