2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge

Blue 4 - Red 5


SEESAW BATTLE ENDS WITH RED OFF TO U17 CAMP FINAL

LEE BOYADJIAN

CALGARY, Alta. – Serron Noel (Nepean, Ont./Ottawa, HEO) and Ryan Merkley (Mississauga, Ont./Toronto Jr. Canadiens, GTHL) scored 57 seconds apart early in the third period to turn a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead, and Red bested Blue 5-4 at Canada’s national under-17 development camp on Sunday night.

With the win, Red finishes in top spot in its group and will play Black in the championship game of the camp on Monday afternoon (12:15 p.m. MT).

Down 4-3 entering the final period, Noel squared the game 90 seconds in, flying down the left wing before tucking a shot around Red goaltender Nathan Torchia (Baden, Ont./Waterloo, MHAO), and Merkley pinched in off the blue-line for eventual game-winner moments later.

“I just got a nice pass from [Xavier] Bernard and I just kind of saw the lane and I had a guy beat,” Merkley said after the game. “I just kind of shot it along the ice and it went in.”

Allan McShane (Barrie, Ont./Toronto Marlboros/GTHL) scored twice and added an assist to lead the offence for Blue, but wasn’t able to find the equalizer late in the third period.

Benoît-Olivier Groulx (Gatineau, Que./Gatineau, LHMAAAQ) opened the scoring on a Red power play midway through the first period, gathering in the rebound of a Noah Dobson (Summerside, P.E.I./EC Red Bull Salzburg, AUT) shot and beating Blue goaltender Alexis Gravel (Asbestos, Que./Mississauga Senators, GTHL).

But Red wasn’t able to enjoy the lead for long. On the next shift, McShane won a battle in the corner and fed Samuel Stevens (Montreal, Que./Shattuck-St.Mary’s, USHS) who spun, shook off a defender, and went to the blocker side of Torchia to tie the game.

Red took the lead just over a minute later, with Owen Gilhula (Stratford, Ont./Huron Perth, MHAO) scoring on a breakaway, but it couldn’t hold onto the lead. Andrew Coxhead (Bedford, N.S./Dartmouth, NSMMHL) jumped on a turnover and fed a wide-open McShane for his first of the night.

“We had a good transition game today so that’s how we got most of our goals and our speed coming out of the zone was huge,” McShane said, when asked of his offensive success.

The second period played much the same as the first, with teams exchanging goals. Luka Burzan (Surrey, B.C./Valley West, BCMML) scored 1:12 into the second, giving Red its third lead of the game. But Chad Denault (Iroquois Falls, Ont./Sudbury, ONMMAAA) answered back for Blue at 4:35.

McShane netted his second midway through the middle frame, flying down the wing and sending a wrist shot high glove-side on Torchia to give Blue its first lead of the night.

“The guys battled hard and we deserved every inch of the ice we got tonight so it was definitely great,” McShane said. “It was a good taste of what Canadian hockey is like.”

Blue will finish its camp in the third-place game Monday, taking on Gold (10:45 a.m. MT).

Game Information
Game # 6 Round Intrasquad
Arena Markin MacPhail Centre – Arena A Location Calgary, Alta.
Date Sunday, July 31, 2016 Time 7:30 p.m. MT

 

Box Score 1 2 3 Total
BLU 2 2 0 4
RED 2 1 2 5

 

Goals & Penalties
First Period
Goals :
09:37 RED Benoît-Olivier Groulx (Noah Dobson) PP
10:05 BLU Samuel Stevens (Allan McShane, Rylan Bettens)
11:14 RED Owen Gilhula (Ryan Merkley)
15:52 BLU Allan McShane (Andrew Coxhead)

Penalties :
09:23 BLU Chase Wouters (Slashing)
11:24 RED Serron Noel (Tripping)
13:45 BLU Kevin Bahl (Tripping)
Second Period
Goals :
01:12 RED Luke Burzan 
04:35 BLU Chad Denault
09:42 BLU Allan McShane (Kevin Bahl)

Penalties :
01:56 RED Noah Dobson (Hooking)
07:14 BLU Samuel Stevens (Roughing)
10:47 RED William Ennis (Boarding)
13:19 BLU Chad Denault (Boarding)
16:13 BLU Allan McShane (Hooking)
17:09 RED Serron Noel (Interference)
Third Period
Goals :
01:30 RED Serron Noel (Carson Miller)
02:27 RED Ryan Merkley (Xavier Bernard, Benoît-Olivier Groulx)

Penalties :
04:21 BLU Mathias Laferrière (Tripping)
17:43 RED Bench (Too Many Players)

 

Goaltenders
BLU Alexis Gravel; Carl Stankowski (2nd/09:42)
RED Nathan Torchia

 

Shots on Goal 1 2 3 Total
BLU 5 10 6 21
RED 11 9 8 28
Videos
Photos
2018 U17: SWE 4 – CAN-R 3 SO (Bronze Medal)
Raymond scored the lone goal in the shootout to give Sweden bronze.
2018 U17: RUS 2 – FIN 1 (Gold Medal)
Gushchin and Kokhanin scored to give the Russians a fourth U17 gold.
2018 U17: RUS 6 – SWE 4 (Semifinal)
Ponomaryov had 2G 2A to help the Russians reach the gold medal game.
2018 U17: CAN-B 5, CAN-W 3 (5th Place)
Crnkovic scored a hat trick to help Black beat White for fifth place.
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