The Team Canada coaching staff had a message for Brett Connolly.
Be prepared for more ice time.
Connolly, an 18-year-old Prince George resident, did see an increase in his workload and helped Canada beat the Czech Republic 7-2 at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship Tuesday in Buffalo.
"It was good," Connolly told The Citizen. "I was told before the game that I'd be put in more situations and they were going to get me back on track and get me back in the rotation and I thought I had a very good game. It was good to contribute a little more tonight."
In Canada's tournament opener on Sunday, a 6-3 win against Russia, Connolly was used sparingly. The move was precautionary, because he was coming off concussion-like symptoms, which started after he took a hit to the head in an exhibition game against Sweden last Tuesday.
Against the Czechs, Connolly didn't register a point but was much more involved in the offence.
"I kind of built off my shifts that I had in the first game and worked hard," he said. "I was just making simple plays and trying to create as much offence (as possible). Me and Schenner (forward Brayden Schenn) started to play a little better as the game went on, started getting used to each other. We got on a few power plays and scored on a few of those."
