HOCKEY CANADA
2023 WORLD JUNIOR A HOCKEY CHALLENGE MEDIA RECAP – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16
December 10-17, 2023 – Truro, NS
Photo credit: Erica Perreaux / Hockey Canada Images
Canada East 7, Sweden 5 – Rath Eastlink Community Centre
· Trevor Hoskin (Belleville, ON/Cobourg, OJHL) had two goals and three assists as Canada East clinched a ticket to the gold medal game.
· Dylan Edwards (Toronto, ON/Toronto, OJHL) had two goals and an assist.
· Etienne Lessard (Terrebonne, QC/Cornwall, CCHL) recorded three assists.
· Dawson Labre (Les Cèdres, QC/Smiths Falls, CCHL) turned aside 28 shots for the victory.
Canada West 4, United States 3 (OT) – Rath Eastlink Community Centre
· Sam Huck (Calgary, AB/Okotoks, AJHL) was the hero as Canada West stunned the undefeated United States to move on to the gold medal game.
· Ty Mason (Weyburn, SK/Brooks, AJHL) led the way with three assists.
· Logan Sawyer (Calgary, AB/Brooks, AJHL) scored twice.
· Matthew Van Blaricom (Southey, SK/Humboldt, SJHL) rounded out the scoring for Canada West.
· Erick Roest (Lethbridge, AB/Sherwood Park, AJHL) made 37 saves for the win.
Next games – December 16
Bronze Medal | Sweden vs. United States – 1:00 p.m. AT
Gold Medal | Canada West vs. Canada East – 5:00 p.m. AT
Quotes:
“We put yesterday behind us, and I really liked our mindset today. We showed some resiliency today, scored on our opportunities and as a group we were a lot more structured than we were yesterday. The biggest thing now is getting the message across to the boys that it’s not everyday you get to play for a gold medal on TSN. We’re here, we’ve enjoyed every step of the way. Team Canada East has never won this thing and we’re here to make history.”
Canada East head coach Billy McGuigan (Summerside, PE/Summerside, MHL) on beating Sweden, and playing for a gold medal
“What a moment…what a chance we have in front of us now. We kept battling today. Sweden is a great team and they just kept pushing back on us. We really had to dig deep and find a way and I think we did just that, this was a gutsy effort. The boys knew what was on the line, a chance to play for gold and we’re one step closer to a dream come true. There is work to be done still, and we’re going to be ready.”
Hoskin on the opportunity ahead of Canada East
“That is the biggest goal of my life, and it’s an unbelievable feeling right now, I can’t describe it. We said today that we can beat anyone and tonight we proved it. This is an amazing group of guys and we’re going to leave it all on the line for gold tomorrow.”
Huck on the game winner
“I’m proud of all the guys. It took us a few days to gel together but tonight was a monumental effort. We’ve been stressing simple hockey, you could feel it on the bench, guys were buying in to our message. We got some great blocks; our goalie was amazing, and a lot of good things happened for us. The USA has a great team over there, but I’m excited to have an all-Canadian matchup for gold.”
Canada West head coach Scott Barney (Oshawa, ON/Humboldt, SJHL) on beating the Americans
TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada will broadcast the bronze and gold medal games from the Rath Eastlink Community Centre in Truro; please check local listings for details.
