Sunday, December 30, 2012

MCDAVID’S HAT TRICK LEADS ONTARIO IN ROUT OF SLOVAKIA

Press Release

PLESSISVILLE, Que. – Connor McDavid (Newmarket, Ont./Erie, OHL) scored a hat trick to lead the way offensively as Ontario earned its first win at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in emphatic fashion, routing Slovakia 12-0 on Sunday night.

The margin of victory is the largest for Ontario since a 13-1 victory over Atlantic at the 2002 tournament in Selkirk, Man., and it’s just the third time since 2000 it has reached double digits in a game.

Robby Fabbri (Mississauga, Ont./Guelph, OHL) and Sam Bennett (Holland Landing, Ont./Kingston, OHL) also had multiple-goal games for Ontario, which bounced back in a big way from Saturday’s shootout loss to the U.S.

Dante Salituro (Willowdale, Ont./Ottawa, OHL), Spencer Watson (London, Ont./Kingston, OHL), Josh Ho-Sang (Thornhill, Ont./Windsor, OHL), Jaden Lindo (Brampton, Ont./Owen Sound, OHL) and Brett Hargrave (North Bay, Ont./Sarnia, OHL) scored the other Ontario goals.

Salituro and Bennett gave Ontario a 2-0 lead after one period before the Canadian side erupted for six goals in the second, three off the stick of McDavid in a span of 10:41. The 15-year-old under-ager leads Ontario in scoring with six points (four goals, two assists) in two games.

Bennett added an assist for a three-point night, Ho-Sang, Hargrave and Watson finished with a goal and a helper each and Aaron Ekblad (Belle River, Ont./Barrie, OHL) and Daniel De Sousa (Mississauga, Ont./Belleville, OHL) chipped with two assists apiece.

Matthew Mancina (Lakeshore, Ont./Leamington, GOJHL) stopped all 23 shots he faced for the shutout, making more than half his saves in the third period when the Slovaks pressed to break the goose-egg.

Both Slovakian goaltenders saw action – Stanislav Skorvanek gave up six goals on 26 shots before being replaced by Maximilian Pajpach, who gave up six on 22.

Slovakia was playing its first game at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge since 2011, when it went winless and finished 10th. Overall, the Slovaks have lost seven in a row at the tournament.

Ontario is off Monday and won’t see the ice again until the New Year, taking on Atlantic on Tuesday afternoon in Drummondville in the first game of 2013 (1:30 p.m. ET), while the Slovaks have a short rest before they face Atlantic on Monday afternoon in Victoriaville (1:30 p.m. ET).


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

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