Saturday, December 31, 2011

RASKOB’S NATURAL HAT TRICK LEADS SHATTUCK TO INAUGURAL WSSC GOLD

Press Release

CALGARY, Alta. – Willie Raskob’s natural hat trick turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead and Shattuck-St. Mary’s scored three times on the power play as it won the inaugural gold medal at the World Sport School Challenge with a 5-3 win over Finland.

The loss was the first for the Finns, who had entered with a perfect 4-0 record – including a win over Shattuck – and had outscored its opposition 36-7.

After a tight-checking opening half of the first period it was the Finns who hit the scoreboard first just shy of the 13-minute mark, as Jimi Kuronen converted a power play opportunity for the Scandinavians.

But Shattuck pulled even on a power play of its own, with Raskob beating netminder Ville Husso with just 18 seconds to go in the opening 20 minutes.

Raskob continued to wield a hot stick early in the second, giving Shattuck its first lead just 39 seconds into the period, and completed his natural hat trick at 9:56 on another power play.

Zach Stepan made it a three-goal game just 60 seconds later, chasing Husso from the Finnish net.

The Finns got to within two late in the second period thanks to a beautiful individual effort by Artturi Lehkonen, and made it a one-goal game less than four minutes into the third, again off the stick of Lehkonen.

But that would be as close as the Scandinavians would get, as Hunter Fejes scored into an empty net with 58 seconds left to clinch it for Shattuck, which will take the gold medal south of the border to Faribault, Minn.

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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