UNITED STATES EARNS SPOT IN GOLD MEDAL GAME WITH WIN OVER JAPAN

VANCOUVER, BC – The United States has clinched a spot in the gold medal game at the 2009 Hockey Canada Cup, and gained a measure of revenge in the process.

Andy Yohe scored a pair of goals, one shorthanded and one on the powerplay, and Chris Manns also scored as the U.S. beat Japan 3-2 on Saturday at UBC Thunderbird Arena in the day’s first semifinal. The Japanese had knocked off the Americans 3-1 in the tournament’s opening game on Tuesday.

It seemed early on that the U.S. was going to skate away with an easy victory, as Manns opened the scoring 1:15 into the game and Yohe scored his first of the game shorthanded to give the Americans a 2-0 lead less than eight minutes in.

But the Japanese got their first goal off the stick of Satoru Sudo just 13 seconds after Yohe’s marker, and Daisuke Uehara pulled them even before the end of the opening frame.

Yohe restored the American lead on the man advantage 3:23 into the second period and the U.S. held off the Japanese over the final 26 minutes, despite being outshot 13-6 in the last two periods.

Goals/Buts :
01:15 USA Chris Manns PP
07:11 USA Andy Yohe (Taylor Chace) SH
07:24 JPN Satoru Sudo (Mikio Annaka) PP
11:17 JPN Daisuke Uehara (Kazuhiro Takahashi, Mamoru Yoshikawa)

Penalties/Pénalités :
00:29 JPN Satoru Sudo (Holding/Retenir)
05:39 USA Adam Page (Holding/Retenir)
12:02 JPN Naohiko Ishida (Roughing/Rudesse)
12:02 USA Brad Emmerson (Roughing/Rudesse)

Goals/Buts :
03:23 USA Andy Yohe (Taylor Lipsett, Taylor Chace) PP

Penalties/Pénalités :
00:38 USA Tim Jones (T-boning/Charge en T)
02:53 Mikio Annaka (Interference/Obstruction)
11:24 Mikio Annaka (T-boning/Charge en T)

Goals/Buts :
NO SCORING / AUCUN BUT

Penalties/Pénalités :
01:06 USA Bench (Too Many Players/Trop de joueurs)
07:22 USA Lonnie Hannah (T-boning/Charge en T)