CANADA WEST WINS WORLD JUNIOR A CHALLENGE ... AGAIN
Cominco Arena in Trail, BC was literally filled to the rafters for the 2007 World Junior A Challenge final, with a sold out crowd of 3,040. All 2,100 seats were occupied and people were standing three deep in the standing room area above the bowl seating. Canada West gave the raucous fans something to cheer about, with an impressive 4-1 win to capture the World Junior A Challenge for a second consecutive year.
Corey Trivino (Toronto, ON/ Stouffville, OPJHL) opened the scoring for Team East at 3:14 of the first period. A Chris Haltigin shot was stopped by West goaltender Bradley Eidsness, but the rebound came right to Trivino who kicked it to his stick and put the puck into an open net.
Team West evened the score at 12:58, as Zac Dalpe (Paris, ON/ Penticton, BCHL) scored on Bryan Gillis (Elmsdale, NS/ Antigonish, MJAHL) on a perfect wrist shot just inside the post.
Dalpe put Team West ahead 2-1 at 16:32, but had some help. His cross-ice pass to Andrew Cherniwchan deflected off a back-checking Team East player and found the corner of the net.
Joe Colborne (Calgary, AB/ Camrose, AJHL) made it 3-1 just as fans were just getting back to their seats after the intermission, depositing a perfect Mike Connolly pass behind Gillis at the 0:32 mark.
Team East was not without it’s own chances, but failed to close the gap. On a power play for basically eight straight minutes in the middle frame, on a major penalty and two minors, Team East couldn’t beat Eidsness and continued to trail 3-1.
Dalpe completed his hat trick in the final period, giving Canada a 4-1 victory.
Team West forward Mike Connolly (Calgary, AB/ Camrose, AJHL), who finished as the tournament’s top scorer, was named Most Valuable Player for the 2007 World Junior A Challenge. Connolly was also the MVP and Top Scorer at the 2006 TELUS Cup, when he reached the championship game with Calgary Buffaloes.
THE 2007 WJAC: A HUGE SUCCESS
The Host Committees in Trail and Nelson, under the leadership of co-chairs Bruce Lerose and Cal Renwick, are without a doubt very proud of a very successful and well-run event. The final numbers have yet to be tallied, but over 23,000 fans attended the games over the week and the 2007 World Junior A Challenge was a success on all fronts.
Game Information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Game Number | 13 | Round | Gold Medal |
Arena | Cominco Arena | City, Country | Trail, B.C. |
Month / Day / Year | 11/11/2007 | Time | 07:30 PM PT |
Attendance | 3168 | Game Status | Final |
Box Score | 1 | 2 | 3 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Canada West (CAN W) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Canada East (CAN E) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Goals/Penalties | |
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First Period | |
Goals: Penalties: |
|
Second Period | |
Goals: Penalties:
|
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Third Period | |
Goals: Penalties: |
Goaltenders | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Canada West | 1 Bradley Eidsness | On 1/00:00 | Off 3/20:00 | |
Canada East | 1 Bryan Gillis | On 1/00:00 | Off 3/20:00 |
Shots on Goal | 1 | 2 | 3 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Canada West | 12 | 5 | 9 | 26 |
Canada East | 6 | 12 | 5 | 23 |
Player of the Game | ||
---|---|---|
Canada West | 18 Zac Dalpe | |
Canada East | 1 Bryan Gillis |