2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge

3 Stars of the Day

DAY 8 – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10

1. Jesper Wallstedt (Sweden)/Dylan Garand (Canada Red)
How do you choose just one? The Swedes and Canadians let it all hang out offensively in the bronze medal game, combining for a ridiculous 96 shots, but Wallstedt and Garand were up to the task; the goaltenders finished with 45 saves each, and stopped eight of nine in the shootout.

2. Ignat Kokhanin (Russia)
The Russians didn’t generate much offence, generating just 16 shots on goal, but Kokhanin made his count; he forced a turnover behind the net and tucked in eventual game – and gold medal – winner late in the second period to put the Red Machine atop the podium for the fourth time.

3. Yaroslav Askarov (Russia)
One last stand-out performance for the tournament all-star. Askarov made 22 saves in the gold medal game, none better than a desperation blocker stop in the dying seconds. He finished with a 1.40 GAA and .948 SV%, both tops among all goaltenders who played more than one game.


DAY 7 – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9

1. Vasili Ponomaryov (Russia)
A point-per-game player through four games, Ponomaryov doubled his tournament output in 60 minutes against the Swedes. He scored twice and added two assists, with three of those points coming in the decisive second period to help the Russians return to the gold medal game.

2. Nick Malik (Czech Republic)
The North Carolina-born netminder saved his best for last, turning aside 38 of the 39 shots he faced to backstop the Czechs to their first win. Malik finished strong in the third period, making 16 saves to send the defending gold medallists to the bottom of the standings.

3. Kyle Crnkovic (Canada Black)
The Saskatoon Blades’ sniper single-handedly brought Black back, scoring twice in the second period to turn a two-goal deficit after 20 minutes into a tie game after 40, and he found the empty net in the dying seconds to join Connor McClennon as the only Canadians to record a hat trick.


DAY 6 – THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8

1. Joel Blomqvist (Finland)
The Finnish netminder quieted the highest-scoring offence in the tournament, finishing with 43 saves in regulation and overtime before stopping three of four White attempts in the shootout, and his third-period pad save off Cole Perfetti might go down as the best stop of the week.

2. Elliot Desnoyers (Canada Red)
Red needed a hero, and Desnoyers was happy to wear the cape. The gold-medal hopes are still alive thanks to the Moncton Wildcats rookie, who went hard to the net and jammed in the overtime winner to make sure the semifinals included at least a little bit of Canadian content.

3. Yaroslav Askarov (Russia)
Ho hum … another day, another shutout for the Russian puck-stopper. Coming off a 22-save blanking of Sweden in the prelim finale, Askarov stopped all 28 shots he faced against the Czechs to run his shutout streak to more than 133 minutes and send Russia to the semis.


DAY 4 – TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6

1. Dylan Garand (Canada Red)
The netminder was under siege by the Finns for much of the night, facing 46 shots. His best work came in the second period when he went 18-for-18 while his team turned a one-goal deficit into a two-goal lead, part of a 43-save performance to give Red momentum into the QFs.

2. Ryan O’Rourke (Canada Black)
The blue-liner appears to have a knack for timely goals – one day scoring in overtime to beat the Czech Republic, O’Rourke ripped home the game-winner with just 91 seconds left to edge the Americans. He added an assist as well, and sits second in scoring by a defenceman.

3. Yaroslav Askarov (Russia)
Sweden owns one of the most high-powered offences in the tournament, and Askarov shut it down. The Russian goaltender was perfect in the preliminary-round finale, turning aside all 22 shots he faced – 14 in the first period alone – to help his team to first place in Group B.


DAY 3 – MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5

1. Connor McClennon (Canada White)
As if there was any doubt. McClennon did it all in every situation, scoring goals on the power play, at even strength and shorthanded in a win over the U.S. The Wainwright, Alta., product also added two assists, meaning he has been in on the last seven goals White has scored.

2. Lucas Raymond (Sweden)
One of the most talked-about international players coming into the tournament, Raymond showed exactly why against Canada Red; he scored a pair of goals – showing off his shot on the first and his hands on the second – and almost led the Swedes to a come-from-behind win.

3. Jean-Luc Foudy (Canada Black)
Three goals, three points. Not a bad afternoon for Foudy, who set up Pier-Oliver Roy to open the scoring in the second period and Ryan O’Rourke to finish it in overtime, and added a goal of his own in the third to help Black find its way into the win column at Harbour Station.


DAY 2 – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4

1. Cole Perfetti (Canada White)
The very early leader in the tournament scoring race, Perfetti was all over the scoresheet in the overtime win over Black; he set up Jérémie Poirier for a pair of tap-ins, sandwiching those around a goal of his own before earning the lone helper on the OT winner by Connor McClennon.

2. Connor McClennon (Canada White)
Better late than never, McClennon was in on the two biggest White goals of the night; he helped set up Théo Rochette for the game-tying goal with 12:34 left before racing away to score the overtime winner early in the extra period, giving his team early Canadian bragging rights.

3. Hunter Strand (United States)
How do you pick just one? It was scoring by committee for the Americans, who got goals from five different players and points from 11. Strand joined Landon Slaggert with a goal and an assist, but gets the nod thanks to his toe-drag and quick shot that made it a 4-0 game. 


DAY 1 – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3

1. Jesper Wallstedt (Sweden)
Despite the lopsided final score, the goaltender was the best Swedish player on the ice; Wallstedt turned aside 47 shots – 20 of them in the third period – to keep the Finns at bay while the Tre Kronor potted four goals in the final 17 minutes to turn a tight game into a comfortable victory.

2. Iliya Rychkov (Russia)
It was a little tighter (and took a lot longer) than they may have liked, but Russia earned a tournament-opening victory in large part thanks to Rychkov, who scored the eventual GWG against the flow of play in the second period before adding an assist on the insurance marker.

3. Seth Jarvis (Canada Red)
The Red rally finished a couple of goals short, but it wasn’t for lack of effort; Jarvis led the comeback attempt, finally getting the Canadians on the board late in the second period and setting up Payton Mount early in the third before the power outage at the qplex killed any momentum.

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: FIN 5 – CAN-R 2 (Semifinal)
Korkalainen tipped in the GWG to send the Finns to play for U17 gold.
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