At first glance, it may have looked like just another scrimmage between a group of players vying for roster positions at a Hockey Canada selection camp. But make no mistake, after the opening faceoff, both Canadian teams began firing real bullets Saturday night at the Canalta Centre in Medicine Hat.
Team Canada Black clawed back from a 4-1 deficit to edge Team Canada White, 6-5 in overtime as the 2019 World U17 Hockey Challenge got underway.
“Yeh, I know a couple of the guys on the other team, kind of,” said Team Black forward Shane Wright (Kingston, OHL), when asked about earning the victory against the other Canadian team in its pool. “It’ll be nice to have the bragging rights with those guys.”
Wright was the star of the show for Team Black, scoring three times on the night including two third period goals to erase a 5-3 Team White lead. Wright, who checks in at 6’ and 183 pounds, is playing in the Ontario Hockey League this season under the exceptional status designation. He will celebrate his 16th birthday on January 5.
Brett Harrison (Oshawa, OHL) opened the scoring, staking Team White to a 1-0 lead after taking a slick feed in full flight from Matt Savoie (Winnipeg, WHL) before ripping a shot that beat Team Black goaltender Benjamin Gaudreau (Sarnia, OHL) stick side.
Savoie, currently playing in the CSSHL for Rink Academy in Winnipeg, had applied to Hockey Canada and the Western Hockey League for exceptional status prior to the 2019-20 season, a designation that would have enabled the St. Albert, Alberta native to play in the WHL this season. The application was denied, but he will play a limited number of games for the Ice this season.
Savoie, who checks in at 5-foot-9 and 181 pounds, collected three assists and turned in a gritty effort. He took a couple of hard shots on the night, especially early on when he blocked a shot of his ankle that had him hobbling immediately.
“That’s one of our team principles here,” Savoie said. “Blocking shots, and I think everyone is buying into that.”
At the 8:36 mark, with Team White playing shorthanded, Wright (Kingston, OHL) buried a wrister from the slot to tie the game, beating Team White goalie Tyler Brennan (Prince George, WHL) cleanly, glove side.
Hometown lad Cole Sillinger (Medicine Hat, WHL) gave Team White the lead at 10:57, stuffing a rebound from in close past Gaudreau.
“It was exciting to play in my own building,” Sillinger said. “I’m comfortable at this rink and maybe have a few extra fans here, which is nice.”
Team White built a 4-1 lead midway through the second period on a pair of tallies by Mason McTavish (Peterborough, OHL).
He jammed home a rebound on the powerplay at 7:14 after a point shot by Savoie trickled through Gaudreau’s pads. Three minutes later, his laser from the faceoff circle, through a screen set up by Savoie, beat Gaudreau cleanly. The marker also signaled the end of the evening for the beleaguered netminder, who was replaced by William Blackburn (Jonquiere, LHMAAAQ) with Team Black down by three goals.
“Well firstly, Benny (Gaudreau) is such a good goalie, I mean, just a couple of tough bounces on him,” Wright said when asked about Blackburn coming on in relief. “Then Willy really stepped in there nicely and played solid back there. He made sure nothing got past him.”
Team Black controlled the play for much of the last ten minutes of the second stanza, scoring twice to narrow the gap.
Zachary Dean (Gatineau, QMJHL) took a slick back door feed from Ryan Winterton (Hamilton, OHL) and beat a surprised Brennan at 12:10. At 18:55, Brennan Othmann (Flint, OHL) directed a shot on goal that barely slid over the goal line past Brennan to make it 4-3. Othmann also added a pair of assists on the night.
Sillinger restored the Team White two-goal lead nine seconds later, converting a three-on-two break with 56 seconds to play in the period.
Team Black survived a couple of trips to the penalty box in the third period and responded with a pair of goals.
Wright barrelled through the crease at 12:33 and chipped the puck out of the air past Brennan to make it 5-4, then completed his hat trick when he raced in from the blueline on a breakaway and fired a shot high glove to square the contest at 16:41.
Dean tallied the game-winner Team Black 52 seconds into extra time with the teams playing three-on-three, weaving in front from the corner and hoisting a backhander over Brennan’s glove.
While Team Black was in a celebratory mood afterward, it was very clear this one got away from Team White over the final 30 minutes. How the group rebounds, remains to be seen.
“The intensity is there for sure,” said Team White head coach Sylvan Favreau (Halifax, QMJHL). “Is there cohesion? Not so much yet as we’re grabbing guys from all over the country. They might know each other a little bit from camps this summer, but it’s still minimal.
“We’re trying to gel as quickly as possible.”
Team Black takes on the Czech Republic Monday afternoon, while Team White will face the USA Monday evening. Both games are scheduled for Canalta Centre in Medicine Hat.
SUMMARY
First Period
Scoring: 1. WHITE: Harrison (Savoie, Enright) 6:53 (ES). 2. BLACK: Wright (Othmann, Malatesta) 8:36 (PP). 3. WHITE: Sillinger (Plandowski, Sward) 10:57 (ES)
Penalties: WHITE: Lambos (tripping) 8:04; WHITE McTavish (delay of game) 15:42.
Second Period
Scoring: 4. WHITE: McTavish (Savoie) 7:14 (PP). 5. WHITE: McTavish (Savoie, Plandowski) 10:16 (ES). 6. BLACK: Dean (Winterton, Zhilkin) 12:10 (PP). 7. BLACK: Othmann (L’Heureux, Wright) 18:55 (ES). 8. WHITE: Sillinger (Kidney, Richard) 19:04 (ES)
Penalties: WHITE: Plandowski (interference) 1:18; WHITE: Guenther (highsticking), BLACK: Whynot (holding stick) 6:42; BLACK: Clarke (interference) 7:07; WHITE: Legault (cross checking) 11:30
Third Period
Scoring: 9. BLACK: Wright (Othmann, Bentham) 11:33 (ES). 10. BLACK: Wright 16:41 (ES)
Penalties: WHITE McTavish (slashing) 1:20; BLACK: Del Mastro (holding stick) 8:10; BLACK: Ceulemans (holding) 14:32.
Overtime
11. BLACK: Dean (Othmann, Ceulemans) :52 (ES)
Shots on Goal:
WHITE – 6/10/12/2: 30
BLACK – 7/11/10/0: 28
Goaltenders:
WHITE: Brennan 60:52 (30/36)
BLACK: Gaudreau 30:16 (8/11); Blackburn 30:36 (15/16)
Game stars:
BLACK – Shane Wright
WHITE – Mason McTavish
Notes…In Swift Current, Logan Stankhoven (Kamloops, WHL) scored twice and Conner Roulette (Seattle, WHL) added a single as Team Canada Red defeated Russia, 4-2…Team White roster includes Cole Sillinger (Medicine Hat Tigers), Matt Savoie and Carson Lambos (Winnipeg ICE), Dylan Guenther (Edmonton Oil Kings), Graham Sward (Spokane Chiefs) and Tyler Brennan (Prince George Cougars)…Team Black roster includes Jayden Grubbe (Red Deer Rebels), Sean Tschirgel (Calgary Hitmen), Kai Uchacz (Seattle Thunderbirds), Nolan Bentham (Victoria Cougars) and Corson Cuelemans (Brooks Bandits/Moose Jaw Warriors)…Ceulemans was a member of the Bandits 2019 Centennial Cup championship team, emblematic of Junior A hockey supremacy in Canada.
