Team Davidson wins Top Prospects Skills Competition
Vancouver, BC — Blair Jones of the Moose Jaw Warriors scored a pair of goals, including a penalty shot late in the second half of the three-on-three game to give Team Davidson a 10-8 win over Team Cherry in the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Super Skills Competition in front of 10,044 at the Pacific Coliseum on Tuesday.
Alex Bourret of the Lewsiton MAINEiacs also scored two goals – both on his first shift of the game for Team Cherry.
Guillaume Latendresse of the Drummondville Voltigeurs scored the nicest goal of the night when Tri-City Americans goaltender Carey Price hit him with a pass at centre and Latendresse skated in alone on Alexandre Vincent of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, beating him with a backhander on the short side.
Team Davidson had a 5-4 lead after the super skills portion of the event.
Sudbury Wolves teammates Benoit Pouliot and Marc Staal went head-to-head in the puck relay competition. Pouliot lost control of the puck at the half-way point and Staal coasted to an easy win.
Team Davidson speedster Wacey Rabbit of the Saskatoon Blades took the fastest skater competition, circling the rink in a blistering 13.9 seconds. Home town star Gilbert Brule lost an edge while circling the net.
Chris Lawrence of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds was the first shooter in the accuracy contest. He hit four targets in five shots for Team Cherry. Ryan O’Marra of the Erie Otters duplicated the feat for Team Davidson.
Devereaux Heshmatpour of the Oshawa Generals blasted a slapshot 94.6 miles per hour to win the hardest shot contest.
“I’ve got arms like that, but I put my shoes on them,” quipped Brent Butt, the star of CTV’s Corner Gas and Team Cherry’s celebrity captain, about the 6-foot-6, 238 lbs. Heshmatpour.
Butt and Our Lady Peace drummer Jeremy Taggart were the celebrity captains for the super skills competition.
“That was a lot of fun,” said Taggart, who came to Vancouver on a brief break from recording the band’s new album in Hawaii. “It was a blast to be part of this.”
“I’ve never been on the ice with guys like that before,” said Butt, a die-hard Prince Albert Raiders fan. “It was a lot of fun.”
The 2005 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is Wednesday (7:00 pm Pacific / 10:00 pm on Rogers Sportsnet).