ST-AMAND GETS SHUTOUT AS CANADA WINS SERIES WITH 5-0 WIN OVER USA

Canada’s National Sledge Team will head into the 2008 IPC Sledge Hockey World Championship next month on a winning note after Benoît St-Amand made 14 saves to lead it to a 5-0 win over the USA on Saturday night in the finale of a three-game series in Prince George, BC.

After dropping the first game of the series in overtime on Thursday night, the Canadians took the final two from their North American neighbours, moving to 11-2 in the 2007-08 season, and 6-1 against the USA.

For the third time in as many games it was the hosts who got on the board first, as Graeme Murray (Gravenhurst, ON) took a pass from Mark Noot (Winterbourne, ON) and beat American goaltender Mike Blabac just past the nine-minute mark of the opening period.

Although they outshot the USA 10-3, the Canadians were unable to get anything else past Blabac in the first period.

Dany Verner (Bois-des-Filion, QC) made it 2-0 at 9:41 of the second period with an unassisted effort, before it was time for Canada’s big line to go to work.

Billy Bridges (Summerside, PE) notched his second goal of the series, and team-leading tenth of the season, less than three minutes after Verner’s goal, with the assist going to Bradley Bowden (Orton, ON), and added his second of the game just 51 seconds into the final period, with the assist this time going to Greg Westlake (Oakville, ON).

Bridges and Westlake then combined to set up Bowden on a powerplay to round out the scoring late, and the Canadian defense clamped down over the dying minutes to ensure St-Amand would register his first shutout of the season.

Canada, which has yet to lose in regulation time this season, will take to the ice next on March 29th at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts, when they face Italy in the opening game on the world championship.

CAN Roster/Alignement

22 Benoît St-Amand
57 Paul Rosen

11 Adam Dixon
17 Jean Labonté
21 Raymond Grassi
34 Mark Noot

3 Hervé Lord
4 Derek Whitson
7 Marc Dorion
8 Jeremy Booker
9 Dany Verner
10 Shawn Matheson
12 Greg Westlake
18 Billy Bridges
19 Todd Nicholson
20 Steve Arsenault
27 Bradley Bowden
29 Graeme Murray

USA Roster/Alignement

22 Mike Blabac
67 Steve Cash

3 Tim Jones
4 Jim Connelly
17 Mike Hallman
23 Nick Teodoro
44 Chris Manns

5 Brad Emmerson
7 Taylor Lipsett
8 Greg Shaw
20 Adam Page
21 Alexi Salamone
22 Bruce Nelson
25 Bubba Torres
26 Taylor Chace

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2

3

Final

1

2

2

5

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-

-

-

Goals/Buts :
CAN – Graeme Murray (Mark Noot) 9:07

Penalties/Pénalités :
USA – Alexi Salamone (Interference) 10:02
CAN – Greg Westlake (Interference) 15:00

Goals/Buts :
CAN – Dany Verner 9:41
CAN – Billy Bridges (Bradley Bowden) 12:32

Penalties/Pénalités :
CAN – Todd Nicholson (Holding) 1:12
USA – Chris Manns (Butt Ending) 3:02
CAN – Raymond Grassi (Interference) 11:32
CAN – Adam Dixon (Interference) 12:27

Goals/Buts :
CAN – Billy Bridges (Greg Westlake) 0:51
CAN – Bradley Bowden (Billy Bridges, Greg Westlake) 12:04 PP

Penalties/Pénalités :
CAN – Bradley Bowden (Roughing) 3:46
USA – Brad Emmerson (Roughing) 3:46
USA – Jimmy Connelly (Holding) 10:36