Rudolph records two assists in Game Two of CHL USA Prospects Challenge

Lethbridge, Alta.- A hard-fought comeback effort saw Team CHL score three unanswered goals to take Game 2 of the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, though the hosts ultimately fell in three-on-three overtime.

This marks the U.S. NTDP’s first CHL USA Prospects Challenge Championship.

Victor Plante scored the dagger to trigger ‘Free Bird’ at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena.

“Not too many guys get this opportunity, so (I’m) very grateful for that,” CHL alternate captain Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders / Lacombe, Alta.) said. “The event itself was awesome. I mean, not the result we wanted, obviously, but I thought we battled hard and played well today… That’s kind of our whole goal, just to work harder and be better than we were yesterday, and I thought we did that and ended up coming up on top in regulation, and then the unfortunate ending.”

In Game 2, WHL leading scorer and Kamloops Blazers standout JP Hurlbert (Allen, Texas) gave the CHL its first lead of the night with a powerful one-timer off a Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders / Lacombe, Alta.) feed just 34 seconds into the match.

Liam Ruck (Medicine Hat Tigers / Osoyoos, B.C.) completed the all-WHL goal.

But the U.S. roared back with goals from A.J. Garcia and Plante coming just two minutes apart in the early goings.

Jamie Glance extended the NTDP’s lead with a precision powerplay snipe just over a minute into the second frame.

As the CHL continued to pile on the shots, captain Caleb Malhotra (Brantford Bulldogs / OHL) took matters into his own hands with an effortless-looking shorthanded breakaway.

Finally, the hosts found an equalizer as A-rated defender Rudolph put a shot wide of the net for Maddox Dagenais to collect the rebound and rup it cross ice for Alessandro Dio Iorio (Sarnia Sting / OHL).

The Vaughan, Ont. product waited a split second to stare down the netminder before roofing the puck glove side for his first goal of the showcase.

Fans would have to wait until the dying minutes of the third period to see another tally- but the CHL made it count.

On a late powerplay, Xavier Villeneuve was rewarded as he parked in the slot for a slick redirect on a hard centering pass from Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars / Cypress River, Man.)

Mathis Preston (Spokane Chiefs / Penticton, B.C.) picked up his third point of the showcase with a secondary assist on the play.

The CHL outshot their opponents 37-27 through 60 minutes to secure the Game 2 win and force overtime, where Plante finished off a seeing-eye wrister for the 2025 title.

Zachary Jovanovski (Guelph Storm / OHL) steered aside 24 of 27 shots in Game 2, while American Luke Carrithers denied 33 of 37.

Despite the ultimate disappointment, CHL Head Coach Willie Desjardins (Medicine Hat Tigers / Climax, Sask.) praised his team’s bounceback from Game 1- particularly their 5/6 penalty kill.

“The second period is a hard period,” Desjardins said. “I think we had five kills in that period, and we still carried a lot of play. So that said a lot about the group to be able to battle through that.

(Assistant Coach) Jay McKee and all the coaches made a comment about how we are looking forward to following their careers. These guys are going to have great careers. Hopefully, they take stuff away from this tournament, because it is a step up. It’s a step up for our league. There’s a lot more pressure on it, like, you can’t take penalties, you know that you have to do things. So… I think they’ll take out how hard it is, and, I think, just how important it is to win. Losing really sucks, and, you know, hopefully it bothers them so they don’t lose again.”

The CHL and U.S. NTDP are now tied with one win each in the event’s two-year history.

Now, the countdown to 2026 is on…