Dillon Dube realized one childhood dream by playing for Canada this year at the world junior hockey championship.
The Kelowna Rockets forward fell one agonizing step short of fulfilling another on Thursday night in Montreal.
Dube and Team Canada were forced to settle for the silver medal after a dramatic 5-4 shootout loss to the U.S. in the final of the IIFH World Junior Championship at the Bell Centre.
Twice the Canadian team had two-goal leads—2-0 and 4-2—but the Americans fought back each time to tie the game.
After a scoreless 20-minute overtime period, Troy Terry scored the only goal in the shootout to boost the U.S. to victory.
Dube, 18, had three assists in seven games at the tournament.
Forward Tyson Jost, who played two years in Kelowna with the Pursuit of Excellence and the Okanagan Rockets, was also a member of the Canadian team. Jost had a goal and three assists in seven games.
Both Dube and Jost are eligible to play with Canada at the 2018 WJC next year in Buffalo.