Thursday, December 31, 2009

U-17 Challeng Day Two

Press Release

TIMMINS, Ont. – There would be no blown lead this time, Pacific made sure of that.

One day after outplaying and outshooting Russia for 40 minutes, only to implode in the third period of a 6-2 loss, Pacific opened up a 4-1 first-period lead on its way to a 10-4 win over Atlantic on Wednesday, getting into the win column at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Reece Scarlett scored one and added four assists to pace the offence, while Miles Bell scored twice and Ty Rattie and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins chipped in four helpers apiece. Nine different players scored goals for Pacific (1-1), which had its biggest offence output since a pair of 11-goal games in 2006 – one of which came against Atlantic.

Atlantic got to within three goals at 4-1 and 5-2, but a late burst by the western Canadians, three goals in the first six minutes of the third period, put the game well out of reach.

Darcy Ashley scored twice for Atlantic (0-2), while Bruce Hornbrook and Taylor Burke also added goals. The easterners have allowed 17 goals in their first two games.

Press Release


NEW LISKEARD, Ont. – Two days into the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, and the United States is emerging as a team to beat.

Rocco Grimaldi and Barrett Kaib scored second period goals to turn a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead and goaltender John Gibson shut the door the rest of the way as the U.S. became the tournament’s first 2-0 team with a 3-2 win over the Czech Republic on Wednesday.

Convincing 7-0 victors in their tournament opener on Tuesday against Atlantic, the U.S. was in tougher against the Czechs (0-1), who were making their return to the U17s after a three-year absence.

J.T. Miller and Vojtech Butor traded goals in the first period before Marek Hrbas gave the European side their first lead just 32 seconds into the second period, marking the first time in the tournament the Americans trailed.

But Grimaldi and Kaib scored 10 minutes apart to put the U.S. ahead after 40 minutes and Gibson stopped 13 shots in the third period to ensure the Americans a 12th consecutive round-robin game without a loss, leaving them alone atop Group B.

Press Release

NEW LISKEARD, Ont. – Sweden is back at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, and it is back with a win.

Mika Zibanejad scored twice and Victor Rask had a goal and an assist, the only Swedish players with multiple points, as the Swedes picked up the ‘W’ in their 2010 tournament debut, beating a pesky Finland side 6-4 in an all-Scandinavian match-up at the New Liskeard Recreation Centre.

Sweden’s U17 team had not played a game at the tournament since losing the gold medal game to Ontario in 1997, but quickly reintroduced itself to Canadian fans by scoring six of the game’s first seven goals.

Jesper Danielsson, Oskar Klefbom and Rickard Rakell joined Zibanejad and Rask on the scoresheet for Sweden (1-0), which outshot the Finns 25-9 in the first two periods while building a 4-0 lead.

Joel Armia scored twice for the Finns (1-1), who took to the ice just 14 hours after their shocking tournament-opening win over Ontario and tried in vain to fight back in the third period, scoring three goals in six minutes to turn a five-goal deficit into a two-goal disadvantage. Tomi Wilenius and Santeri Arousva had the other goals.

Press Release


TIMMINS, Ont. – Tyson Teichmann earned the shutout, but it was the Ontario defence that was the story as the two-time defending champions got on the board Wednesday night at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Ontario allowed just 14 shots – five in the final 40 minutes – and Carter Sandlak’s goal late in the second period stood up as the winner as the host team scored a 3-0 win over Quebec at McIntyre Arena.

Matthew Puempel and Boone Jenner added insurance goals in the third period for Ontario (1-1), which was shocked 5-3 by Finland in its first game on Tuesday. It was a much different result 24 hours later, as the Ontarians allowed just three shots more than they did in the first period on Tuesday.

Teichmann was at his best in the first period, when the shots were even at 9-9, but faced just one shot in the second and four in the third en route to recording Ontario’s first shutout since Bryce O’Hagen blanked the U.S. in the 2008 gold medal game.

Goaltender Robin Gusse earned Player of the Game honours for Quebec (1-1) after turning aside 27 shots, albeit in a losing cause.

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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