QUICK-STRIKE OFFENCE LEADS BLACK PAST GOLD AT U17 CAMP

JASON LA ROSE

CALGARY, Alta. – Rhys Forhan (Bradford, Ont./York Simcoe, OMHA) and Aidan Dudas (Parry Sound, Ont./North Central, OMHA) scored 1:20 apart late in the second period to give Black the lead for good as it opened its schedule at Canada’s national under-17 development camp with a 4-1 win over Gold on Saturday night.

Eli Zummack (Kelowna, B.C./Okanagan, BCMML) and Adam McMaster (Beamsville, Ont./Niagara North, OMHA) also scored for Black, which scored the game’s final four goals.

“We just tried to keep the first game simple,” Forhan said. “First time playing together, first time in a game situation. We’ve been practicing together for a few days and it seemed to go pretty well.”

Gold goaltender Olivier Rodrigue (Chicoutimi, Que./Jonquière, LHMAAAQ) was the story in the first period, turning away all 14 shots he faced and keeping Black off the scoreboard despite three power plays in the opening 18 minutes.

Rodrigue finished with 20 saves on as many chances before he gave way to Cameron Lamour (Naughton, Ont./Sudbury, ONMMAAA) midway through the second period.

Jackson Leppard (North Vancouver, B.C./Vancouver NW, BCMML) backed Rodrigue with the lone goal of the first 32 minutes, jamming a rebound past Black netminder Marshall Frappier (Nepean, Ont./Nepean, HEO) on a Gold power play just past the four-minute mark of the middle frame.

But Forhan brought Black even at 14:06, snapping a quick shot through Lamour, and Dudas tipped in a Sean Comrie (Edmonton, Alta./Delta Hockey Academy, CSSHL) point shot on the power play 80 seconds after that to put Black ahead to stay.

“[Head] coach [David Struch] has been telling us to keep it simple, and I just got in there and tried to take a shot, and it worked out,” Forhan said of his game-tying goal.

Gold doomed its own comeback attempt in the third period, taking two delay-of-game penalties in the first seven minutes of the final stanza, although it did manage to outshoot Black 10-7 in the period.

Zummack tucked a shot five-hole on Lamour at 10:36 of the third, and McMaster capped the scoring with 2:08 remaining.

“Both games we [have] played well,” Leppard said of his team’s performance after the game. “If it’s a loss it’s a loss, and we’ll move on from it. We need to stay disciplined, but it’s great to see guys working hard.”

Black gets right back to action Sunday at the Markin MacPhail Centre, taking on Green (4:45 p.m. MT), while Gold will wait for the placement games on Monday to take to the ice one last time at camp.