PLAYED AT: North Peace Arena
Date: Nov 5, 2015
GAME NOTES: CANADA WHITE COMES BACK IN THIRD TO BEAT FINNS IN U17 QUARTERS
JASON LA ROSE
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – James Hamblin (Edmonton, Alta./Medicine Hat, WHL) scored twice in the third period to spark Canada White to a come-from-behind 4-2 win over Finland in a Thursday night quarter-final at the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
The win sends White back to Dawson Creek, where it will meet Sweden in Friday’s semifinals (7 p.m. MT).
Gabe Vilardi (Kingston, Ont./Windsor, OHL) added the game-winning goal with just over seven minutes left, and Owen Tippett (Peterborough, Ont./Mississauga, OHL) also scored for White.
It didn’t take long to get the crowd at North Peace Arena into the game; Tippett picked up a loose puck and wired a wrist shot over the short-side shoulder of Finnish netminder Lassi Lehtinen just 4:05 in.
The Finns responded early in the second period when Kristian Vesalainen blocked an Elijah Roberts (Brampton, Ont./Kitchener, OHL) shot at the Finnish blue-line and took off on a two-on-one, feeding tournament leading scorer Eeli Tolvanen for the tying goal at 3:51.
Vesalainen did the scoring himself to give Finland its first lead 12 minutes into the middle frame, spinning in the slot and slipping a shot past Canadian goaltender Ian Scott on a Finnish power play.
White continued to pepper Lehtinen with shots through the second and third periods, racking up 24 in the final 40 minutes – and 34 overall – but it took a pair of late power plays to turn the tide.
Hamblin brought the Canadians even at 9:25 of the third, redirecting a point shot from Tippett with the man advantage, and Vilardi picked up his own rebound and snuck a backhand past Lehtinen on another power play to put White ahead for good.
The Canadian captain jumped on a turnover in the neutral zone and found the empty net with 1:15 left.
The loss means Finland will stay in Fort St. John and take on the powerhouse United States, which was shocked by Sweden in its quarter-final, in Friday’s fifth-place game (1:30 p.m. MT). |
Visiting Team: Canada White
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Home Team: Finland
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CANADA WHITE LINEUP
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| Pos |
No. |
Name |
| G | 1 | Scott, Ian | | | 2 | Bouchard, Evan | | | 3 | Gourley, Jarrod | | | 4 | Mitchell, Ian | | | 5 | Groleau, Jérémy | | | 6 | Mendel, Griffin | | | 7 | Aucoin, Yan | | | 8 | Meireles, Greg | | | 10 | McLeod, Ryan | | | 11 | Anderson-Dolan, Jaret | | | 12 | Keating, Austen | | | 14 | Struthers, Matthew | | | 15 | Hamblin, James | | | 16 | Davis, Brett | | | 17 | Suzuki, Nick | | | 18 | Thomas, Robert | | | 19 | Vilardi, Gabriel | | | 20 | Ostir, Hayden | | | 21 | Tippett, Owen | | | 22 | Côté, Louis-Filip | | | 23 | Roberts, Elijah |
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CANADA WHITE PENALTIES
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| Per. |
No. |
Min |
Offence |
Off |
PP |
PS |
Start |
On |
| 1st | 11 | 2:00 | Tripping minor | 8:50 | 1 | | 8:50 | 13:10 | | 1st | 2 | 2:00 | (auto) Delay of Game minor | 10:50 | 1 | | 10:50 | 11:10 | | 1st | 12 | 2:00 | Roughing minor | 19:12 | | | 19:12 | 2:48 | | 2nd | 8 | 2:00 | Roughing minor | 10:19 | 1 | | 10:19 | 11:41 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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FINLANDE LINEUP
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| Pos |
No. |
Name |
| G | 30 | Lehtinen, Lassi | | | 2 | Anttalainen , Aleksi | | | 3 | Heiskanen, Miro | | | 5 | Jokiharju, Henri | | | 6 | Isiguzo, Bernard | | | 8 | Teravainen, Eero | | | 9 | Viitasalo, Nuutti | | | 10 | Engberg, Teemu | | | 11 | Vaakanainen, Urho | | | 12 | Koskenkorva, Jesse | | | 13 | Ikonen, Joni | | | 16 | Luusuaniemi, Aatu | | | 20 | Talvitie, Aarne | | | 21 | Tolvanen, Eeli | | | 22 | Virtanen, Santeri | | | 23 | Vesalainen, Kristian | | | 24 | Nyman, Linus | | | 25 | Heponiemi, Aleksi | | | 27 | Räsänen, Eemeli | | | 29 | Hartikainen, Santeri | | | | |
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FINLANDE PENALTIES
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| Per. |
No. |
Min |
Offence |
Off |
PP |
PS |
Start |
On |
| 1st | 27 | | (auto) Hooking | 10:27 | | * | 10:27 | 9:33 | | 1st | 2 | 2:00 | Tripping minor | 16:59 | 1 | | 16:59 | 5:01 | | 1st | 11 | 2:00 | Roughing minor | 19:12 | | | 19:12 | 2:48 | | 2nd | | 2:00 | Too Many Men on the Ice minor | 1:21 | 1 | | 1:21 | 0:39 | | 2nd | 8 | 2:00 | (auto) Interference minor | 13:34 | 1 | | 13:34 | 8:26 | | 3rd | 8 | 2:00 | (auto) Holding minor | 7:51 | 1 | | 7:51 | 14:09 | | 3rd | 23 | 2:00 | (auto) Interference minor | 12:42 | 1 | | 12:42 | 9:18 | | 3rd | 22 | 2:00 | (auto) Goaltender Interference minor | 13:55 | 1 | | 13:55 | 8:05 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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