SOCHI, Russia — Jesse Blacker scored 1:36 into overtime to lift Canada's men's hockey team to a 1-0 win over HC Sochi on Sunday in its first game at the Sochi Hockey Open.
Blacker took a pass from teammate Justin Azevedo and his shot deflected off a Sochi stick to beat goaltender Konstantin Barulin.
Justin Peters earned the shutout for the Canadians.
"We played a really solid game from start to finish," Peters said. "We had a lot of opportunities to score — their goalie played really well — and they turned it on a bit in the third period and we were able to hold the fort."
Canada plays Russia Monday in its second and final preliminary round game with a spot in the final on the line.
The tournament is being used as an evaluation process for head coach Willie Desjardins ahead of next year's Olympics in Pyeongchang.
The Canadian Press
