National Junior Team wraps up summer camp

NEWS RELEASES

HOCKEY CANADA

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CALGARY – The final intrasquad game at the National Junior Development Camp at Father David Bauer Arena was perhaps the best of the week. Team Red was looking for a first win, while Team White was hoping for a sweep of the three-game series.

Jonathan Bernier (Laval, QC/Lewiston, QMJHL) got the nod in net for Team Red while Carey Price (Anahim Lake, BC/Tri-City, WHL) started for Team White.

Team Red opened the scoring for the first time in the three-game series as forward Claude Giroux (Ottawa, ON/Gatineau, QMJHL) showed incredible patience in beating Price low on the stick side.

It only took five minutes for Team White to respond as Chris Stewart (Scarborough, ON/Kingston, OHL) stole a puck at his own blue line and went in all alone, sliding the puck by Bernier to even things up at 1-1.

A minute and a half later, defenseman Patrick McNeill (Strathroy, ON/Saginaw, OHL) scored his third goal in as many games to give Team Red a 2-1 lead heading into the second period.

Team Red goaltender Bernier finished with 10 saves before being replaced by Tyler Plante (Brandon, MB/Brandon, WHL), while Price finished with four saves for Team White before Jean-Philippe Levasseur (Victoriaville, QC/ Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL) took over at the 10 minute mark of the second period.

Calgary Flames’ draft pick Daniel Ryder (Bonavista, NL/Peterborough, OHL) thrilled the home town crowd as he scored for Team White to tie the game up at 2-2 for the only goal of the second period.

With a scoreless third period, and the game tied at 2-2, the teams went to a five player shoot-out.

Cogliano, Toews, Marchand, and Little all scored for Team White while Giroux and McArdle tallied for Team Red.

Team White won in the shoot-out to give them a clean three game sweep for the series.

Levasseur finished with 15 saves for Team White registering the victory, while Plante made 11 saves in net for Team Red.

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CALGARY – The second intrasquad game at the National Junior Development Camp at Father David Bauer Arena had a very similar start to game one.

Team White opened up the first period with two goals, the first by James Neal (Whitby, ON/ Plymouth, OHL) and the second came only five minutes later on a power play goal by Brad Marchand (Hammonds Plains, NS/Moncton, QMJHL), his second at Camp.

Team Red countered with a power play goal of its own when Ryan O’Marra (Mississauga, ON/Erie. OHL), a gold medal winner from last year’s World Junior Championship Team, banged home a rebound to bring the Red side to within one.

Jonathan Toews (Winnipeg, MB/North Dakota, WCHA) regained a two goal lead for Team White when he buried a rebound with just over two minutes left in the first period. Team White held a 3-1 lead heading into the second period.

The two elder statemen started in net for both teams in game two as Jean-Philippe Levasseur (Victoriaville, QC/ Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL) played for Team White making nine saves, while Team Red countered with Tyler Plante (Brandon, MB/Brandon, WHL) who had 12 saves before they were both replaced at the half way mark of the second period.

Team White went up 4-1 as defenseman Scott Jackson (Salmon Arm, BC/ Seattle, WHL) scored from the point at 6:20. But Team Red battled back and got a late goal to make it 4-2 through forty minutes of play. Defenseman Patrick McNeill (Strathroy, ON/Saginaw, OHL) fired a quick shot through a maze of players, eluding Carey Price for his second goal in as many intrasquad games.

Team White added a fifth goal at 5:58, as James Sheppard (Lower Sackville, NS/ Cape Breton, QMJHL) found the net. But Team Red wasn’t ready to give up. Kenndal McArdle (Burnaby, BC/ Moose Jaw, WHL) one-timed a Cody Bass feed past Price to make the score 5-3 for Team White.

Chris Stewart (Scarborough, ON/Kingston, OHL), on his fourth breakaway of the night, converted into the empty net to ice the win for Team White 6-3.

Jonathan Bernier (Laval, QC/Lewiston, QMJHL) and Carey Price (Anahim Lake, BC/Tri-City, WHL) played the second half of the game. Price finished with 15 saves for Team White, and Bernier had 12 saves. ************************************************************