JCWC Postgame Recap: Cup Hopes Still Alive

Press Release

Eamon McAdam and the Waterloo Black Hawks made a third period lead stand up despite a tenacious comeback effort from the Omsk Hawks Thursday at the 2012 Junior Club World Cup in Russia, pulling away late for a deceptive 7-3 win.

Entering the final period, Waterloo led 4-1 when McAdam turned aside a penalty shot at 1:33 by Ivan Fishchenko. However at 13:04, Omsk did break through on the power play with a goal from Evgeny Mozer, who flipped in a rebound. Mozer struck again, burying a cross-ice feed on a rush up ice just over a minute later. In front of more than 8,000 chanting fans, McAdam made the save of the game, flashing his glove to snag a hard, low blast with three minutes to play.

After another minute and following a timeout, Omsk pulled goaltender Oleg Shilin, and Waterloo scored after the ensuing faceoff with Ryan Papa putting in a second chance at 18:18 after Vince Hinostroza had hit a post. The Black Hawks added two more in the closing minute, from Justin Kloos on a penalty shot and Jake Horton with a two-on-one power play goal.

Kyle Schmidt had broken a scoreless deadlock with the only marker in the first period. At 15:06, he found the rebound from a Matias Cleland shot, skated across the crease, and flipped in a chance of his own.

Waterloo built the lead in the middle frame, starting with a power play just over three minutes into the period. Zach Stepan batted a puck out of midair and across the crease to Papa who stuffed it in. Omsk struck for their first of the night when Dmitry Kuzmenko sent a rocket into the net at 11:37.

However, the visitors pulled back ahead by a pair just over a minute later when Stepan crashed the net to flip in a rebound after an Omsk defender had collided with Shilin. It became a three goal margin at 19:01, when Taylor Cammarata stepped out of the box to poke the puck free. Kloos found it and sent a wrist shot to the top shelf, over Shilin’s glove.

Earlier in the day, a 1-0 victory by Dynamo Shinnik of Belarus over Norway’s National Junior Team made Dynamo the first team to advance from the Omsk Arena Pool into Saturday’s semifinals. That decision ensured that only the winner of the evening matchup would have the opportunity to also move on. The Black Hawks will skate Saturday against Linkopings of Sweden, winner of the Blinov Sports Complex Pool.

(Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)