NORWAY EDGES JAPAN IN WORLD SLEDGE CHALLENGE OPENER

The opening game of the 2011 World Sledge Hockey Challenge saw Norway edge Japan 7-6 inafast-paced,action-packed matchup Monday afternoon inside London’s Western Fair Sports Centre.

The Norwegians cracked the scoreboard midway through the first, while their own Magnus Bøgle wasinthebox for interference, but that shorthanded goal would be answered with a powerplay marker fromJapan’sKazuhiroTakahashi, to tie it up at one apiece by the time the clock ran down on the period.

It didn’t take long for Norway to regain its lead, however, with Helge Bjønstad and Rolf EinarPedersonbothnotching markers by the midway point of the second to make it 3-1. The puck continued tosoarup-and-down theice through the period, with Japan’s Daisuke Uehara narrowing the gap at 12:24andNorway’s MortenVaernes  responding less than five minutes later.  Japan was again able topullwithin one on a goalfrom Satoru Sudo in the final minute of the middle frame, making it 3-2 forNorwayentering theintermission.

A resilient Japanese squad came out in the third determined to stage a comeback, as Uehara scoredhissecondof the game and tied it up at three apiece just a few minutes into the period. But Norway foughtjustas hardto restore its lead, with Rolf Einar Pederson and Audun Bakke scoring within about a minute ofeachother tomake it 5-3.

The teams continued to trade goals through the remainder of the third, with Kazuhiro Takahashi scoringhissecond for Japan at 14:08 and Nordstoga also tallying another for Norway at 18:19. Japan made a stronglastditch effort when Uehara slipped another goal past the goal line, and secured himself a hat trick, inthelast 30 second s of the game for the 7-6 final.

But there just wasn’t enough time left for Japan to tie it up again, and Norway took the win at theendofan exciting first game at this year’s World Sledge Hockey Challenge. Norway’s Pederson andJapan’sUeharawere named players of the game for their respective teams.

The next game features Canada facing off against North American rivals the United States at 7 p.m.ET,infront of an expected 1,000 fans. If you can’t make the game, watch it live online at http://hockeycanada.fasthockey.com

Penalties:
   02:05 JPN 16 Taimei Shiba (Teeing)
   06:13 JPN 32 Daisuke Uehara (Interference)
   10:48 NOR 12 Magnus Bøgle (Interference)
   16:55 NOR 16 Knut Andre Nordstoga (Interference)

Penalties:
   02:16 JPN 16 Taimei Shiba (Holding)
   13:14 JPN 13 Mamoru Yoshikawa (Charging)
   18:58 NOR 3 Rolf Einar Pedersen (Roughing)
   19:47 NOR 16 Knut Andre Nordstoga (Holding)

Penalties:
   07:38 NOR 7 Eskil Hagen (Holding)
   16:38 JPN 32 Daisuke Uehara (Teeing)
   18:48 NOR 3 Rolf Einar Pedersen (Interference)