CANADA NEEDS SHOOTOUT TO EDGE AMERICANS

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – For the second time in three meetings this season Canada and the United States needed a shootout to decide a winner on Friday night at the ESL Center, with Billy Bridges (Summerside, P.E.I.) and Bradley Bowden (Orton, Ont.) both finding the mesh to help Canada to a 2-1 win.

All three games between the North American rivals have been nailbiters, with Bridges’ goal giving Canada a 4-3 win on Sept. 11 in Toronto before the Americans evened up the season series with a shootout win of their own the following night.

Canadian netminder Paul Rosen (Thornhill, Ont.) stood tall in the shootout, turning aside three of the four shooters he faced.

The shootout came after four periods of fast-paced action and 44:52 of shutout goaltending from Rosen, who came within eight seconds of a clean sheet before the U.S.’ Taylor Chace scored on an American power play with the seconds ticking down.

Until Chace’s late goal it was Bowden’s power play marker midway through the first period that had stood up. Bowden converted a beautiful set up from Bridges, who has been in on four of the six goals Canada has scored against the U.S. this season.

The two teams meet again on Saturday afternoon at the ESL Center in their final meeting before the 2009 World Sledge Hockey Challenge opens Nov. 17 in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Goals/Buts:
07:45 CAN Bradley Bowden (Billy Bridges) PP/AN

Penalties/Punitions:
07:25 USA Andy Yohe  (Tripping/Faire trébucher)
07:45 CAN Billy Bridges (Roughing/Rudesse)
11:44 CAN Graeme Murray (Roughing/Rudesse)

Goals/Buts:
None/Aucun

Penalties/Punitions:
01:52 CAN Graeme Murray (Tripping/Faire trébucher)
04:09 CAN Graeme Murray (Slashing/Coup de bâton)
04:09 USA Taylor Chace (Unsportsmanlike Conduct/Conduite antisportive)

Goals/Buts:
14:52 USA Taylor Chace (Joe Howard, Alexi Salamone) PP/AN

Penalties/Punitions:
03:07 USA Mike Hallman (Elbowing/Donner du coude)
14:10 CAN Greg Westlake (Roughing/Rudesse)

Goals/Buts:
None/Aucun

Penalties/Punitions:
None/Aucun