U-17 GOLD MEDAL VIP PARTY
RUSSIA 4 ONTARIO 3
Dave Ducharme windsorspitfires.com
Grigori Dikushin poked home the winning goal at 8:27 of overtime, as Team Russia stunned tournament favourite Team Ontario in a 4-3 overtime win in the semifinals of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge on Tuesday night.
Russia will now play the US for gold Wednesday, while Ontario will face Sweden for the bronze.
Ontario once again got off to a slow start.
Russia opened the scoring at 3:28 of the first period, as Ivan Barbashev beat Ontario goalie Spencer Martin with a quick shot off the post and in.
The host club evened things up on its first power play of the night, as Stephen Nosad beat Nikita Serebryakov with a short-side backhander at 10:38.
Belle River’s Aaron Ekblad put Ontario back on top at the 5:32 mark of the second period, scoring from the top of the right circle on the power play.
But Russia refused to go away.
Sergei Tolchinski weaved his way through a stack of Ontario defenders before sliding one along the ice past Spencer Martin to tie the game at 2-2 at the 15:31 mark.
Hunter Garlant continued his red-hot play with a nifty tip of a Stephen Nosad pass that beat Serebryakov high to the glove side, giving Ontario a 3-2 lead.
An outstanding individual effort by Russia’s Grigori Dikushin tied the game once again with just 4:15 to play. The Moscow native found a loose puck in a sea of bodies and scored on a backhand spin-o-rama, to even things at 3-3.
SCORING
FIRST PERIOD
RUS Ivan Barbashev (Ivan Fishchenko) 3:28, ONT Stephen Nosad (Hunter Garlent) 10:53 PP
SECOND PERIOD
ONT Aaron Ekblad (Hunter Garlent, Nick Baptiste) 5:32 PP, RUS Sergei Tolchinski 15:31
THIRD PERIOD
ONT Hunter Garlant (Stephen Nosad) 7:10, RUS Grigori Dikushin 15:45
OVERTIME
RUS Grigori Dikushin 8:27
SHOTS
ONT 12 – 8 – 5 – 1 = 26, RUS 8 – 13 – 11 – 8 = 40
