DAWSON CREEK, British Columbia – The U.S. Junior Select Team takes on Canada East in the semifinal round of the World Junior A Challenege today at 4:00 p.m. E.T. Live streaming for tonight’s game can be found here.
Today’s Opponent: Canada East
Team USA is 3-1-0-0 (W-OTW-L-OTL) in 2019 World Junior A Challenge play, while Canada East is 1-0-2-1. The U.S. has 11 points and sits at the top of the tournament’s standings as the only undefeated team. Canada East enters the semifinals with 4 points and is in fourth place.
The U.S. Junior Select Team boasts four of the top five points leaders, including Brendan Brisson (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) who posted a multi-point effort in each of the four preliminary round games. Team USA has also outscored opponents 22-11.
In the 2019 tournament, the U.S. met Canada East on Wed. Dec. 11, with Team USA coming out on top in a 7-3 win that featured a 5-goal second period. Team USA won their final preliminary round game against Russia yesterday afternoon 7-2, while Canada East fell to the Czech Republic 6-4 on Friday night.
Team USA has finished in the top three at the World Junior A Challenge 10 times in the past 10 years, and has won five of the last seven World Junior A Challenges.
Game Four Recap:
In a rematch of the 2018 World Junior A Challenge championship, Team USA came out victors, defeating Russia 7-2. The U.S. Junior Select Team advances to WJAC semifinals as the top-seeded team after finishing 3-1-0-0 (W-OTW-L-OTL).
Josh Lopina (Minooka, Ill.) was the U.S. Player of the Game. The U.S. outshot Russia 45-29. Team USA converted on four of nine powerplay opportunities. Brisson (2-1-3) and Fontaine (1-2-3) led all U.S. skaters with three points each. 11 different players collected points in the 7-2 U.S. victory.
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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- By Greg Bates 12/28/2023, 6:15pm EST
U.S. Captures Third Place in World Jr. A Challenge
- By USA Hockey 12/17/2023, 3:45pm EST
U.S. falls to Canada West 4-3 in Overtime of World Jr. A Challenge Semifinals
- By USA Hockey 12/16/2023, 8:00pm EST