2015 World Junior A Challenge, Cobourg & Whitby, Ont., Dec. 13-19, 2015

 

Thursday results

 

Team Canada West defeated Team Canada East 8-5 in a semifinal in Cobourg, Ont.

• The line of Liam Finlay (Kelowna, B.C./Vernon, BCHL), Tyson Jost (Kelowna, B.C./Penticton, BCHL) and Joseph Nardi (Edmonton, Alta./Whitecourt, AJHL) combined for nine points in the third period, and the two teams combined for a record nine goals in the final 20 minutes, but it’ll be the westerners playing for a gold medal after a wild win over their cross-country rivals.

 

Next games

 

Friday, Dec. 18
Czech Republic vs. Switzerland – 7 p.m. ET (fifth-place game at Cobourg)
Team Canada East vs. United States – 7 p.m. ET (bronze-medal game at Whitby)
Saturday, Dec. 19
Team Canada West vs. Russia – 4 p.m. ET (gold-medal game at Cobourg)
Quotes

 

“We had a good push back. Every time they answered, we answered back, and I thought that showed a lot of character. You have to give a lot of credit to Canada East, they played a really good game, but I’m proud of our team and excited to play for a gold medal.”

            – Joseph Nardi (Edmonton, Alta./Whitecourt, AJHL), Team Canada West

 

“We had guys chipping in with big goals at key times, and that’s what you need to win the one-game showdowns. You need guys stepping up on the bench, and that’s what we had in the third period.”

– Tim Fragle, head coach, Team Canada West

 

“The whole game was really back and forth. They ended up capitalizing on a few more chances, and they had a few more lucky bounces than we did, which was unfortunate. Now our whole focus is on getting a medal tomorrow, so we’ll bear down and focus and be ready.”

            – Sam Dunn (Bewdley, Ont./Cobourg, OJHL), Team Canada East

 

“There’s tons on character on this hockey team. Those guys haven’t quit all tournament long, and I don’t see them quitting in the bronze-medal game. We’ve got a lot to prove, and I’m very, very proud of the way the kids played tonight.”

– Jason Clarke, head coach, Team Canada East

 

Single-game tickets are available for the tournament through the Hockey Canada website.

 

The bronze-medal game can be viewed live through FASTHockey webcasts at HockeyCanada.ca/WJAC.

 

The gold-medal game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 19 at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT and will be broadcast by TSN and RDS, the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada – check local listings for details.