RED ERUPTS EARLY, BEATS SWEDEN FOR FIFTH PLACE
JASON LA ROSE
SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – Olivier Nadeau (Lac-Etchemin, Que./Shawinigan, QMJHL) scored a pair of goals during a four-goal first period, and Canada Red closed out its 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge with a 6-2 win over Sweden in the fifth-place game Saturday.
Wyatt Johnston (Toronto, Ont./Windsor, OHL) added a goal and an assist for Red, which dropped a 4-2 decision to the Swedes in preliminary-round play on Monday night.
The Canadian offence went to work early, scoring twice before the game had reached the three-minute mark.
Johnston was first on the board just 70 seconds in, beating goaltender Carl Lindbom with a quick shot off the left wing, and Nadeau dangled around a defender and slipped a shot just inside the post at 2:38.
Zachary Bolduc (Bécancour, Que,/Rimouski, QMJHL) forced a turnover in the Swedish zone and sprung Joshua Roy (Saint-Georges, Que./Saint John, QMJHL), who roofed a backhand to make it 3-0 midway through the opening frame, and Nadeau found his own rebound in the crease 67 seconds later for a four-goal lead.
That would be all for Lindbom, who gave way to William Jupiter after allowing four goals on 15 shots.
Jupiter settled in with 15 saves in the second period, but Logan Stankoven (Kamloops, B.C./Kamloops, WHL) managed to find space inside the far post off a stretch pass from Johnston late in the middle frame.
Liam Dower Nilsson got one back for the Swedes before the end of the period, making a gorgeous move to his forehand to beat Canadian netminder Jacob Goobie (Upper Tantallon, N.S./Charlottetown, QMJHL).
Ludwig Persson added another for the Scandinavians early in the third, but Francesco Pinelli (Stoney Creek, Ont./Kitchener, OHL) answered that with a short-side snipe with less than five minutes to go.
Goobie finished with 27 saves as Red outshot Sweden 43-29.
HOCKEY CANADA
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