Smith’s Two Goals Guide Canada Black Past USA

Chiefs defenseman Ty Smith scored two power play goals on Tuesday, Nov. 1 as his Canada Black defeated the United States 4-3 to clinch the top spot in the group after preliminary play. Smith is Canada Black’s team captain. Fellow Chiefs Eli Zummack (Canada Black) and Koby Morrisseau (Canada White) are also competing at the tournament. Full recap via hockeycanada.ca below.

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SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. – Allan McShane (Barrie, Ont,/Erie, OHL) tipped in the game-winning goal and added two assists for good measure, spurring Canada Black to a huge 4-3 win over the United States in the preliminary-round finale Tuesday at the 2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

The Canadians, who sat fourth in Group A when the puck dropped, jumped the U.S., Canada White and the Czech Republic to claim top spot in the group, and set up a Thursday quarter-final against Finland (7:30 p.m. ET).

The U.S. will take on Sweden in the day’s first quarter-final (12 p.m. ET).

Black captain Ty Smith (Lloydminster, Alta./Spokane, WHL) added a pair of power-play goals and Adam McMaster (Beamsville, Ont./North Bay, OHL) had a goal and two assists of his own in the win.

McMaster got the offence in gear quickly, camping out at the side of the net and patiently waiting for a deflected shot to drop from the sky before batting in the 1-0 goal just 4:09 in.

The Americans answered seven minutes later when Jake Wise finished off a mini 2-on-0 break with Joel Farabee, only for Smith to wire a wrist shot past U.S. goaltender Ryan Ullan at 13:39 to restore the Black lead.

Wise struck again early in the second period, picking his spot over the short-side shoulder of Canadian netminder Jacob Ingham (Barrie, Ont./Mississauga, OHL) on a U.S. power play, but Smith got his second midway through the middle frame, guiding a shot from the point through traffic and through Ullan.

McShane doubled the lead less than three minutes after that, cruising through the high slot and redirecting in a shot from Calen Addison (Brandon, Man./Lethbridge, WHL), making it 4-2 and spelling the end for Ullan, who was replaced by Keegan Karki.

The Americans tried to take back the momentum in the third period, outshooting Black 9-3 in the final 20 minutes and pulling within a goal when Farabee converted a power-play opportunity at 8:09.

But Ingham closed the door the rest of the way, clinching the win and first place.

The victory ended a rather impressive streak for the U.S.; it had gone 22 consecutive preliminary-round games against Canadian teams without a loss, dating back to a 7-5 defeat at the hands of Ontario in 2005.

The U.S. had also won 18 straight round-robin games overall before Tuesday.