RED DEER, Alta. – Ethan Gauthier tallied a hat trick and Cameron Allen and Calum Ritchie had four points apiece as Canada opened the preliminary round of the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a 14-0 win over Switzerland on Sunday night.

Colby Barlow opened the scoring early with a shorthanded score just two minutes into the first period. Barlow would finish the night with a pair of goals and an assist, taking home Player of the Game honours.

The power play was 4-for-4 on the night, with two goals from Gauthier and one each from Andrew Cristall and Matthew Wood.

Brayden Yeger, Carson Rehkopf, Denver Barkey, Caden Price, and Kalen Lind rounded out the goal scorers.

In total, 15 players ended up on the scoresheet with at least a point, including starting goaltender Scott Ratzlaff, as the Canadians outshot the Swiss 52-17.

Swiss netminder Diego Simeoni swapped with Ewan Huet midway through the first period after allowing four goals on seven shots. Huet finishing with 35 saves on the night.

Both teams will return to action Tuesday, with the Swiss facing Sweden (11 a.m. MT) and the Canadians taking on Slovakia (7 p.m. MT).