Trail native Trevor Johnson picked up an assist and was solid defensively as Team Italy got off to a good start at the IIHF World Hockcey Championships in Belarus with a 2-1 victory over France on Sunday.
Johnson assisted on the tying goal on a power play when he found Guillio Scandella in the slot with five minutes to play in the second period. But it was his work on special teams that made the difference, as the Italians killed off five French power plays including a two-man advantage for almost two minutes.
Markus Gander netted the winner with 58 seconds remaining to hand France its first loss of the tournament.
“It was great to get our first win and get our confidence going,” Italy coach Tom Pokel said.
France began the tournament with a stunning 3-2 shootout upset over Team Canada in their opening match. Italy lost its first game to Norway 3-0 and will plays Denmark today at 9:45 a.m.