2016-17 National Junior Team

ROY NETS OT WINNER; CANADA COMPLETES PERFECT PRE-COMP

WENDY GRAVES

TORONTO, Ont. – Canada’s National Junior Team jumped out to a 3-0 lead just seven minutes into the game, but it needed an overtime goal from Nicolas Roy (Amos, Que./Chicoutimi, QMJHL) to beat Switzerland 4-3 to complete a perfect pre-competition schedule ahead of the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Philippe Myers’ (Moncton, N.B./Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL) shot from just inside the blue-line went wide right but came back around the left side of the net, where Roy backhanded it in.

Canada finished with a 3-0 mark in pre-tournament play. It opens the World Juniors on Boxing Day against Russia (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT).

Dylan Strome (Mississauga, Ont./Erie, OHL) and Dillon Dubé (Cochrane, Alta./Kelowna, WHL) had a goal and an assist, and Dante Fabbro (Coquitlam, B.C./Boston University, HE) also scored in regulation for Canada.

Carter Hart (Sherwood Park, Alta/Everett, WHL) got the win in goal.

The game appeared to be going the same direction as Canada’s first two pre-tournament games. The team defeated both Finland and the Czech Republic 5-0.

Only 1:30 into this one, Canada went to the power play. And only five seconds after that the man-advantage was over. Mathew Barzal (Coquitlam, B.C./Seattle, WHL) sent a cross-ice pass to Strome, who struck a one-timer from the right dot.

Just over two minutes later, Dubé knocked down the rebound off Noah Juulsen’s (Abbotsford, B.C./Everett, WHL) point shot and scored from the top of the crease.

Canada continued to roll. Fabbro circled near the side boards, came out and scored with a wrist shot from above the face-off circle.

Seven minutes in Canada had scored three goals and Switzerland was still without a shot.

Canada’s impressive shutout streak came to an end in the second period. When Nico Hischier finished off a centering pass from Dominik Diem at the 8:47 point, it marked not just the first goal Canada had allowed in pre-tournament play but the first goal since its first selection camp game, a span of nearly 291 minutes.

Hischier scored his second of the game 5:29 later, this time from the slot off a pass from Loic In Albon.

The Swiss comeback was complete just 1:20 into the third period. Diem’s shot trickled in five-hole on Hart.

Canada outshot Switzerland 32-14 overall.

Joren van Pottelberghe took the loss in net.