CANADA FALLS IN SHOOTOUT TO CIS ALL-STARS

WENDY GRAVES

TORONTO, Ont. – Canada got goals from Mitchell Stephens (Peterborough, Ont./Saginaw, OHL), Travis Dermott (Newmarket, Ont./Erie, OHL), Julien Gauthier (Pointe-aux-Trembles, Que./Val-d’Or, QMJHL) and Anthony Beauvillier (Sorel, Que./Shawinigan, QMJHL) but fell in a shootout Saturday night to Team CIS in the first of two exhibition games at Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Selection Camp.

Spencer Abraham scored the only goal of the shootout, lifting a backhand past goalie Mason McDonald (Halifax, N.S./Charlottetown, QMJHL), to give Team CIS the win.

Gauthier also added two assists for Canada.

Eric Locke led Team CIS with two goals; Olivier Hinse and Alex Saulnier added the others.

Kevin Bailie picked up the win in net.

This marked the second year in a row that Canada’s National Junior Team has played a pair of games at its world juniors selection camp against a team of CIS players. Last year it swept the two-game series against the CIS Toronto Selects; this year’s CIS roster brought together players from across the country, including 20 with CHL experience themselves.

Canada got on the board first, 9:21 into the opening period, when Stephens flipped in a backhand from the low slot.

Dermott doubled the Canadian lead at the 12:35 mark, but moments later Locke and Hinse replied with a pair of goals a mere 15 seconds apart to even things up 2-2 heading into the first intermission.

Team CIS took the lead late in the middle period; Saulnier took a centering pass from the side boards and beat McDonald high from the slot.

Two minutes later Gauthier tipped in Sanheim’s point shot to make it 3-3.

Locke finished off a passing play on the man-advantage to pick up his second goal of the game, 7:22 into the third, but Beauvillier brought Canada even with less than three to play in regulation.

The story of the game was special teams. Canada drew the first three penalties of the game, converting on two of those chances. But its own lack of discipline led to the CIS’ go-ahead goal in the third, and nearly cost the team in overtime, when Team CIS started the extra period on the power play. The extra space afforded from playing four-on-three on the international-size ice brought quality scoring chances, but both teams’ shot blockers and goalies were up to the task.

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