U SPORTS All-Stars skate to 5-1 win over Canadian National Junior Team hopefuls in Game 3
Kris Bennett (Saginaw Spirit/UNB) scored twice and goaltender Michael DiPietro stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced as the U SPORTS All-Stars downed Canadian National Junior Team hopefuls by a score of 5-1, taking the series between the two clubs for the second straight year.
First period goals from Carson Stadnyk (Everett Silvertips/Saskatchewan) and Bennett gave U SPORTS a 2-0 lead before Owen Tippett (Mississauga Steelheads) put Canada on the board 4:32 into the second period.
Collin Shirley (Kamloops Blazers/Saskatchewan), Bennett and Christopher Clapperton (Rimouski Océanic/UNB) scored three times in the latter half of the second frame to secure the 5-1 U SPORTS victory at the Q Centre in Victoria, BC.
Goaltenders Ian Scott (Prince Albert Raiders) and Matthew Villalta (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) combined to stop 23 of the 28 shots they faced for Canada.
U SPORTS won two of the three series games, outscoring Canada 12-7 in the process.
CANADA’S NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM ROSTER TRIMMED TO 23 PLAYERS:
After four cuts were made following Thursday’s action, Canada’s National Junior Team roster was further trimmed down to 23 players following Friday’s Game 3. A total of 21 CHL players remain on the roster with one cut remaining before the team’s 22-man roster is finalized prior to the start of the tournament.
Canada’s National Junior Team Roster (as of December 14th):
Goaltenders: Michael DiPietro (Ottawa 67’s), Ian Scott (Prince Albert Raiders)
Defencemen: Evan Bouchard (London Knights), Josh Brook (Moose Jaw Warriors), Noah Dobson (Acadie-Bathurst Titan), Ian Mitchell, Jared McIsaac (Halifax Mooseheads), Markus Phillips (Owen Sound Attack), Ty Smith (Spokane Chiefs)
Forwards: Shane Bowers, Jaret Anderson-Dolan (Spokane Chiefs)*, Maxime Comtois (Drummondville Voltigeurs), MacKenzie Entwistle (Hamilton Bulldogs), Morgan Frost (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds), Cody Glass (Portland Winterhawks), Barrett Hayton (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds), Alexis Lafrenière (Rimouski Océanic), Brett Leason (Prince Albert Raiders), Jack Studnicka (Oshawa Generals), Nick Suzuki (Owen Sound Attack), Owen Tippett (Mississauga Steelheads), Joe Veleno (Drummondville Voltigeurs), Gabriel Vilardi (Kingston Frontenacs)*
*- player currently injured
2018 World Junior gold medalist Alex Formenton (London Knights) suffered a lower body injury in Wednesday’s Game 1 of Selection Camp that will sideline him for the 2019 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.
