Monday, July 29, 2013

GOALTENDING LEADS RED TO U18 CAMP WIN OVER WHITE

Press Release

TORONTO, Ont. – Mason McDonald (Halifax, N.S./Acadie-Bathurst, QMJHL) and Julio Billia (St-Léonard, Que./Chicoutimi, QMJHL) combined for 37 saves as Red evened the intrasquad series at Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp with a 4-1 win over White on Sunday.

McDonald turned aside 23 of the 24 shots he faced in his 31 minutes of action, while Billia was a perfect 14 for 14 to help Red bounce back from a 7-4 loss in the camp opener on Saturday night.

Carl Neill (Boisbriand, Que./Sherbrooke, QMJHL), Jayce Hawryluk (Roblin, Man./Brandon, WHL) and Michael Dal Colle (Vaughan, Ont./Oshawa, OHL) led the offence with a goal and an assist each for Red, which earned the victory in large part due to its prowess on the penalty kill; White went scoreless on nine power play opportunities.

Rourke Chartier (Saskatoon, Sask./Kelowna, WHL) had the other Red goal.

Red opened the scoring for the second night in a row, with Chartier putting his team up 1-0 just 2:19 after the puck dropped off a set-up from defenceman Dysin Mayo (Victoria, B.C./Edmonton, WHL).

White would carry much of the play in the opening 20 minutes thanks to five power play chances, including a 67-second five-on-three advantage late in the period, which ended with Brendan Lemieux (Buckingham, Que./Barrie, OHL) tying the game for White just as the second penalty expired.

Neill scored the eventual game-winner early in the second period, jamming home a loose puck in front of the White goal, and Hawryluk added insurance late in the middle frame, snapping a shot off the right wing past the blocker of goaltender Brent Moran (Ottawa, Ont./Niagara, OHL).

Dal Colle rounded out the scoring on a Red power play six-and-a-half minutes into the third period.

White held a 38-37 advantage in shots on goal; Moran and Payton Lee (Cranbrook, B.C./Vancouver, WHL) did their part in the White net, making 33 stops – 24 for Lee, nine for Moran.

The teams are back on the ice for a Monday matinee (11:30 a.m. ET) to wrap up camp.

From the selection camp, 22 players will be selected to represent Canada at the 2013 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament, which opens Aug. 5 in Breclav, Czech Republic and Piestany, Slovakia.

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

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