2017-18 National Men's Under-18 Team

RED HOLDS ON TO FINISH INTRASQUAD SWEEP AT U18 CAMP

JASON LA ROSE

CALGARY, Alta. – Nathan Dunkley (Campbellford, Ont./Kingston, OHL) and Ty Dellandrea (Port Perry, Ont./Flint, OHL) scored 39 seconds apart midway through the second period, and Red withstood a late push from White to earn a 4-3 win Tuesday at Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp.

Dellandrea finished with a goal and an assist for Red, which swept the three-game intrasquad series.

For the third time in as many games, the opening goal came within the first seven minutes; Dellandrea stripped the puck from Giovanni Vallati (Ottawa, Ont./Kitchener, OHL) behind the net and found Nolan Foote (Kelowna, B.C./Kelowna, WHL), who knocked the 1-0 goal past White goaltender Jacob Ingham (Barrie, Ont./Mississauga, OHL).

Owen Lalonde (Windsor, Ont./Sudbury, OHL) doubled the advantage on the power play before the end of the opening frame, pinching in off the blue-line and finishing a perfect cross-ice feed from Ryan Merkley (Mississauga, Ont./Guelph, OHL).

White picked up the offence in the second period, outshooting Red 17-7, and got within a goal thanks to Chase Wouters (Lloydminster, Sask./Saskatoon, WHL), who raced away from the Red defence and went to the forehand to beat netminder Kevin Mandolese (Blainville, Que./Cape Breton, QMJHL).

But a pair of quick goals restored the two-goal lead, and added insurance.

Dunkley was first on another Red power play, getting his shot through a screen and past Ingham at 9:29, before Calen Addison (Brandon, Man./Lethbridge, WHL) raced into the White zone and found Dellandrea, who tucked the 4-1 goal past Ingham at 10:08.

Both teams switched goaltenders after the Dellandrea goal, with Alexis Gravel (St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Que./Halifax, QMJHL) replacing Mandolese, and Olivier Rodrigue (Chicoutimi, Que./Drummondville, QMJHL) taking over for Ingham.

White made it interesting in the third period, starting with an Akil Thomas (Toronto, Ont./Niagara, OHL) power-play goal just 65 seconds into the final stanza.

Jett Woo (Winnipeg, Man./Moose Jaw, WHL) wired a wrist shot past Gravel with 5:21 left to make it a one-goal game, but that would be it for offence.

With camp finished, 22 players will be selected Tuesday afternoon to represent Canada at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which begins Aug. 7.