PRAGUE (Czechia) – Hockey superstar Jaromir Jagr showed up in the McGill men's hockey team dressing room, Tuesday, but unfortunately he wasn't there to play for the Redbirds, who inaugurated their 149th year of operation with a 4-1 setback to open the Czech International Tournament.
 
Jagr, a 52-year-old who owns – and still plays occasionally for – his hometown Kladno squad, was there to welcome McGill, the defending OUA and U SPORTS bronze medalists, to his native country.

Matyas Filip scored just 62 seconds into the contest and teammate Ondrej Blaha tallied twice, including a shorthanded marker and an empty-netter, as the Czech Extraliga team came away with the victory.  It was the second win in three preseason contests for Kladno as the collegian squad opened its 10th overseas tour and the first since 2007.
 
Trailing 2-0, McGill cut the deficit in half at the 19:42 mark when Charles-Antoine Dumont converted passes from senior forward Zachary Gallant and sophomore defenceman Nicolas Pavan. A 21-year-old management sophomore from Levis, Que., Dumont is coming off a solid freshman campaign where he scored 16 goals and 31 points in 41 games overall.
 
But Kladno regained the two-goal cushion at the seven-minute mark of the middle frame when Martin Nemcik found the back of the net. Blaha put the game out of reach in the third period with his empty-netter at 17:32.
 
"It was a memorable start to the season, meeting Jaromir Jagr and playing against his Kladno team," said David Urquhart, in his third year as head coach at McGill. "We arrived in Munich on Sunday night and we had our first practice yesterday. Its all happening pretty fast for (us), so for (the guys) to start the season like this, where they get to go to a really special place... its one of the experiences to remember for a lifetime. The game itself, the execution wasn't were we are normally in the regular season... and its something that we will build on in the next few days.

"We knew that they were going to be strong, being (from) the top (Czech) league, an Extraliga team... When we talked to the guys before the game, we said to prepare for this like it's going to be the hardest game of the year. You can see that (Kladno) came out very strong and those two goals in the first period were big part of the win for them."

The Knights had 44-24 edge in shots as goaltender Adam Brizgala registered 23 saves for the win and McGill starter Alexis Shank made 41 saves in a losing cause.
 
The Redbirds went 0-for-6 on the power-play, while Kladno was 0-for-5.

"This trip is something that the team will remember forever," noted Urquhart. "We have a lot of alumni who have gone through the program over the years and they had an opportunity to play in one of these European trips. It's something that they always remember and talk about when we have alumni events. So having these guys be able to experience that themselves in a special place like Prague and Munich... two great European cities that they get to see and (experience) two cultures that are distinctly different from home. They will come out of this experience as more well-rounded people and that's really what we're looking to do. To not only build a good hockey team but also to build better people"
 
McGill will play Pribram, a third division squad, on Aug. 22, before closing out the tourney on Aug. 24 against the Czech University Selects, an all-star group, in Prague.

"It's evident that there's a strong foundation of high character, hard-working teammates in our locker room," added Urquhart, whose squad features six freshmen, five sophomores, seven juniors and nine seniors. "This European training camp is an outstanding opportunity for us to establish the habits and standards that will enable us to excel at the national championship in Ottawa next March and grow closer as a team, both on and off the ice."

REDBIRDS RAP: This was the second time in McGill history that the team has played Kladno... The previous meeting was a 6-1 win for the Knights on Aug. 29, 1985... The Czech squad is coached by David Cermak and his staff includes former Montreal Canadiens defenceman Petr Svoboda, who skated for the Habs from 1984 to 1992, including the team's 1985-86 Stanley Cup season... Four new faces recruited from the QMJHL made their debut in a McGill jersey: Charles Boutin, Maxime Pellerin, Charle Truchon and Mathis Gauthier. The quartet is among 1,472 players that have suited up for McGill since the hockey team made its debut on Jan. 31, 1877.
 
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SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
McGill University - Athletics & Recreation
CELL: 514-983-7012
TWITTER: @EarlZukerman
E-MAIL: earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca