Insight, U20 World Junior Championships

Russia with crazy comeback win over Team WHL 4-3

Written by Brandon Rivers on

The CIBC Canada-Russia series moved from Moose Jaw to Swift Current for game two between the Russian select U-20 team and Team WHL.

The WHL was as close to perfect as you can get Monday night, on their way to a dominant 7-0 win. They were not so perfect in the follow-up game as Russia stormed back from a 3-0 deficit, to win 4-3. The winner was scored while shorthanded and underlined the mistake-laden game that Team WHL rolled out.

It all started with a high hit by Brandon’s Tanner Kaspick that led to a five minute power play for the Russians and ended his night early. It was made worse by some poor turnovers that led to Russian goals.

The power play, that had been how they scored their three goals, even backfired as Russia used a nice bounce to score their winner while down a man.

Dillon Dube from Kelowna opened the scoring as he took a pass down low from Sam Steel on the power play and tucked home his own rebound. The first saw more continued pressure from Russia than they were able to muster for the entire game in Moose Jaw on Monday. Lethbridge goaltender Stuart Skinner was up to the task though and kept Team WHL in the lead. He was really tested later in the period as Russia had a five minute power play due to a check to the head delivered on Red Deer’s Alexander Alexeyev by Brandon’s Tanner Kaspick. Russia out shot the WHL (17-6) in the frame, but had nothing to show for it, due to Skinner.

Not taking advantage of their big power play chance would doom the Russians to an early deficit as Team WHL was not so generous when given a couple PP chances of their own in the second. Dube was key again as he collected another pass down low and found Medicine Hat defenseman David Quenneville pinching in for the back door pass.

Then on another PP chance, Quenneville was there for the rebound of a Dube chance for the 3-0 lead and his second goal in just 2:16 of game time.

Russia finally broke through against Team WHL and Skinner off some strong work by Mikhail Maltsev. First, he picked the pocket of Spokane’s Jaret Anderson-Dolan, then he potted a snipe from the slot to make it 3-1.

Artyom Maltsev then cut the lead to one with 13:32 left in regulation. His first wrist shot was stopped by Skinner but his follow up was able to slide just under the Hurricane goalie’s pads as he lay on his back.

Russia completed the comeback off a poor turnover in the WHL zone. Prince George’s Dennis Cholowski tried to feed Anderson-Dolan with a breakout pass and Andrey Altybarmaykan picked it off and quickly beat Skinner.

Russia then took it’s first lead of the CIBC Canada-Russia series as Altybarmaykan’s shot was blocked by Calgary’s Jake Bean and Mikhail Maltsev followed it up and buried a shot past Skinner. This was a shorthanded goal and gave Russia its first lead at 4-3.

-The WHL would pull Skinner late for an extra-attacker, but not really get many great looks, losing 4-3. The CIBC series moves on Owen Sound where the Russians will take on Team OHL on Thursday.

Notes:

-Both Regina’s Josh Mahura and Moose Jaw’s Brett Howden suffered unknown injuries in game one of the series. They were replaced by Swift Current’s Colby Sissons and Regina’s Jake Leschyshyn.

-Down a goal late, Moose Jaw Head Coach Tim Hunter went with a quintet of Sam Steel, Dillon Dube, Matthew Phillips, Jake Bean and Kole Lind.

-Dube and Steel both had three points in the loss, while Quenneville had two goals. With two points the night before, Dube led all scorers in the two-game set with five points. Dube also led the team in shots with seven, while his Kelowna teammate Lind was second with four.

-Skinner stopped 29 of 33 in the loss.

-Steel was 16/27 at the face off dot, while Anderson-Dolan was 7/14 and Portland’s Cody Glass was 5/9.