World under-18s end for Mateiko, Simek

IIHF

The IIHF Under-18 World Championship came to a close for both Eriks Mateiko and Pavel Simek on Thursday.

The Saint John Sea Dogs forwards were both eliminated from the tournament following quarterfinal losses. Saturday's semifinals will feature Team Canada taking on Sweden and the United States battling Slovakia.

Mateiko and the Latvians fell 6-1 to Sweden on Thursday. The Latvian captain had one shot in 17:45 of ice time to finish the tournament with a goal and an assist in five games.

"I think our game got better through the tournament," Mateiko told the IIHF website after the game. "It was little details, teamwork and working together. We did a good job in every game and we played like a team in the end."

Following the game, Mateiko was named one of Latvia's top three players at the tournament.

Simek and Czechia fell 4-1 to the United States. Simek had one shot in 12:08 of ice time to finish the tournament with two assists in five games.

Both Mateiko and Simek, coming off strong rookie seasons in the QMJHL, are eligible to return to the Sea Dogs in the fall.