Fort St. John, British Columbia – In their respective third consecutive multi-point games, Brendan Brisson (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Sean Farrell (Hopkinton, Mass.) helped the U.S. Junior Select to a 7-3 World Junior A Challenge victory over Canada East tonight at North Peace Arena. Team USA’s third victory secured first seed for semifinals ahead of the team’s fourth and final preliminary matchup.
“I thought the key tonight was getting the power play going,” said head coach Anthony Noreen (Kearney, Neb.). “I thought that top to bottom, the thing we love about this lineup is that no matter what line you put out there, there’s a chance to not only score goals but defend and to play the right way. That’s a good feeling as coach, to know that you can go with any line and get results.”
After a mostly quiet first frame, the U.S. took a 1-0 lead with 2:32 remaining in the period when Brisson slotted a feed from Farrell and Ryder Rolston (Birmingham, Mich.) past Canada East goaltender Devon Levi. Canada East’s Ryan Tverberg would even the score 37 seconds later to send the teams into the second period tied at one.
Cole O’Hara scored at 2:24 in the middle frame to give Canada East a 2-1 lead. At 7:06, Grant Silianoff (Edina, Minn.) netted a pass from Rhett Pitlick (Chaska, Minn.) and Connor Caponi (Brookfield, Wis.) to even the score again. Brisson took back the United States’ lead with a power play goal from Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (East Greenwich, R.I.) and Michael Koster (Chaska, Minn.) at 13:37.
Josh Groll (San Diego, Calif.) doubled Team USA’s lead with 3:09 remaining in the second period, scoring on a pass from Pitlick and Matt Knies (Phoenix, Ariz.). Trevor Kuntar (Williamsville, N.Y.) added another tally to the U.S. side of the scoreboard after sending a feed from Mitch Miller (Sylvania, Ohio) and Brisson into Canada East’s net.
With five seconds remaining in the second period, Farrell scored a power play goal, assisted by Fontaine and Brisson, to send Team USA into the third leading 6-2.
Canada East slipped a power play goal past the U.S. around the midway point of the third period to cut the lead in half. However, Team USA would push back down a man. Off a pass from Miller, Fontaine sent a short-handed goal past Owen Say, who replaced Levi in net for Canada East at the start of the final frame, to seal Team USA’s 7-3 victory.
Logan Stein (Suwanee, Ga.) made 20 saves in net for the United States, collecting his second regulation win of the tournament.
The U.S. (2-1-0-0/W-OTW-L-OTL), in sole possession of the top preliminary spot, continues 2019 World Junior A Challenge play Fri. (Dec. 13) against Russia. Puck drop is slated for a 4 p.m. ET start and the game can be streamed live here.
NOTES: Brendan Brisson (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) was named the U.S. Player of the Game … The U.S. outshot Canada East 38-23 … Brisson (2-1-3) and Fontaine (1-2-3) led all U.S. skaters with three points apiece … 12 different players collected a point in the 7-3 U.S. victory … For full game stats, click here … Follow Team USA throughout the 2019 World Junior A Challenge 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 |
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