DAWSON CREEK, British Columbia – The U.S. Junior Select Team opens its 2019 World Junior A Challenge campaign with a matchup against Canada West today at 9:00 p.m. E.T. The game will be played at Encana Events Centre in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. Live streaming for today’s game can be found here.
Today’s Opponent: Canada West
Team USA is 2-3 (W-L) in its last five meetings with Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge. Last year, the U.S. and Canada West met twice in the tournament, with both contests needing an extra frame to decide the winner. The U.S. earned a 3-2 victory in the semifinals after dropping a 2-1 decision in the first game of the preliminary round.
The semifinal victory was redemption for Team USA after Canada West posted a 5-1 in the championship game of the 2017 tournament. In 2016, the U.S. fell to Canada West in a 6-5 overtime loss in a pre-tournament game but did not meet with Canada West in the remainder of the tournament.
Team USA has finished in the top three at the World Junior A Challenge 10 times in the past 10 years, while Canada West has finished in the top three in seven of the last 10.
The U.S. has won five of the last seven World Junior A Challenges, including in 2018, with Canada West taking first place in 2017.
Team USA won its pre-tournament game against Canada East 6-0, while Canada West lost 6-3 against Russia.
Exhibition Recap:
Led by a pair of multi-point efforts from Brendan Brisson (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Ryder Rolston (Birmingham, Mich.), the U.S. Junior Select Team defeated Canada East, 6-0, in a pre-tournament tune up ahead of the World Junior A Challenge Thursday night at Chetwynd Rec Centre.
“I think the first period was eye-opening, just seeing how high the level of competition is,” said head coach Anthony Noreen. “We played our best period of the night in the third, which was encouraging and was what we wanted to see. Really the key was a bunch of guys coming from being the best players on their teams and having to accept new rules and challenges and I think they did a good job with that.”
In total, the U.S. got goals from six different players and points from 11. Ethan Haider (Maple Grove, Minn.) and Logan Stein (Suwanee, Ga.) each saw time in goal for the U.S., combining for 24 saves in the victory. Full recap for Thursday’s pre-tournament game can be found here.
U.S. Schedule
| Date | Opponent/Round | Result | Location | Broadcast/Streaming | U.S. Player of the Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thur., Dec. 5 | Canada East Pre-Tournament |
W, 6-0 |
Chetwynd Rec Centre Chetwynd, B.C. |
Live Stream |
|
| Sat., Dec. 7 | Canada West Preliminary |
W, 3-2 |
Encana Events Centre Dawson Creek, B.C. |
Live Stream |
Brendan Brisson |
| Mon., Dec. 9 | Czech Republic Preliminary |
OTW, 5-4 |
Encana Events Centre Dawson Creek, B.C. |
Live Stream |
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine |
| Wed., Dec. 11 | Canada East Preliminary |
W, 7-3 | North Peace Arena Fort St. John, B.C. |
No Stream | Brendan Brisson |
| Fri., Dec. 13 | Russia Preliminary |
W, 7-2 | Encana Events Centre Dawson Creek, B.C. |
Live Stream |
Josh Lopina |
| Sat., Dec. 14 | Canada East Semifinals |
SOL, 1-2 |
Encana Events Centre Dawson Creek, B.C. |
Live Stream |
Logan Stein |
| Sun., Dec. 15 | Czech Republic Third-Place Game |
OTW, 2-1 |
Encana Events Centre Dawson Creek, B.C. |
TSN | Ethan Haider |
More WJAC News
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U.S. Junior Select Team Opens 2024 World Junior A Challenge with 8-0 Victory Over Canada East
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U.S. Junior Select Team Defeats Canada West in World Junior A Challenge Pre-Tournament Contest
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