HISTORY 2007

WHL wraps up ADT Challenge with a win

2007 Nov-30

By: Aaron Bell

Ryan White of the Calgary Hitmen scored the winning goal and added an assist on an insurance marker to pace the Western Hockey league to a 4-1 win over the Russian selects in the final game of the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge on Thursday in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

Mikail Milekhin opened the scoring for Russia on a powerplay midway through the first period.

Brennan Bosch replied for the WHL on a powerplay late in the first period before White, Bud Holloway of the Seattle Thunderbirds and Jordan Eberle of the Regina Pats scored in the third period to claim the win for the WHL (1-1-0-0).

Leland Irving of the Everett Silvertips made 19 saves for the win.

Sergey Gayduchenko made 24 saves for the Russians, who finished the tournament with a 2-3-0-1 record, their best in the five-year history of the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge.

Russians romp to ADT Challenge win

2007 Nov-29

By: Aaron Bell

Vadim Golubtsov scored two goals, including a powerplay marker in the third period to lead the Russian Selects to a 5-1 win over the Western Hockey league in Game 5 of the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge in Cranbrook, B.C. on Wednesday.

Dmitry Sayustov opened the scoring midway through the first period with Golubtsov and Alexander Polukhin also counting before the first period was over.

Luke Schenn of the Kelowna Rockets scored a powerplay goal late in the second period for the WHL before Golubtsov and Anton Korolev counted in the third to ice their first win in nine tries against the WHL over the five-year history of the tournament.

Vitali Karamnov of the Everett Silvertips joined the Russian squad for the WHL games and picked up an assist on Wednesday.

Russian goaltender Stanislav Galimov was outstanding in the game, turning aside 28 saves for the win.

“He played a good game,” Schenn said. “We threw a lot of pucks at him. We got off to a bit of a slow start and maybe got behind the eight ball but we kept getting on him and kept on firing pucks, unfortunately we couldn’t get any more by him.”

Tyson Sexsmith of the Vancouver Giants made 18 saves in the WHL net.

The Russians have obviously sent their best team ever for this event and improved to 2-2-0-1 while the WHL dropped to 0-1-0-0. The series concludes on Thursday in Medicine Hat, Alberta (11:30 p.m. Eastern on Rogers Sportsnet).

The WHL are hoping to get an emotional lift from what is expected to be a rambunctious crowd in Medicine Hat.

“They’re probably the loudest crowd in the Western Hockey league,” Schenn said. “It will be exciting for the guys to play there and hopefully it gives the boys an extra boost.”

OHL claims second Canada-Russia win

2007 Nov-27

By: Aaron Bell

Sudbury, ON - Shawn Matthias of the Belleville Bulls scored a goal and an assist to lead the Ontario Hockey League to a 4-2 win over Russia in Game 4 of the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge on Monday.

John Tavares of the Oshawa Generals opened the scoring just under four minutes into the game before Vadim Golubtsov replied for Russia while shorthanded midway through the first period.

Bulls’ teammates Bryan Cameron and Matthias scored a little more than three minutes apart early in the second period to give the OHL a two-goal cushion.

Alexander Vasyunov brought the Russians to within one goal when he scored late in the second period but Nick Spaling of the Kitchener Rangers iced the game with a marker late in the third period.

Trevor Cann of the Peterborough Petes made 16 saves for the win while Russian goaltender Sergey Gayduchenko allowed four goals on 26 shots in the loss.

The win gave the OHL a sweep of their two games while the Russians fell to 1-2-0-1.

"A lot of these kids played a lot of hockey over the past four days and I thought they showed a lot of character," said OHL coach Craig Hartsburg of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, who will guide Team Canada for the second straight year at the World Junior Championships at Christmas. "It was a good solid effort. The Ontario kids did really great and we were really proud of them."

Matthias and Cameron were joined by Bulls’ teammates Matt Beleskey, P.K. Subban and Shawn Lalonde.

"It was exciting," said Matthias, who also played in the series last year. "The Russians were a lot better than last year. Our team came together at the end. We were a little shaky at the start but we came on strong at the end."

The series continues on Wednesday in Cranbrook, B.C. (11:30 p.m. Eastern on Rogers Sportsnet) and concludes in Medicine Hat, Alberta on November 29. All games will be shown nationally on Rogers Sportsnet.

OHL stars rally for ADT Challenge win

2007 Nov-22

By: Aaron Bell

Dale Mitchell of the Oshawa Generals and Nick Spaling of the Kitchener Rangers scored third period goals 27 seconds apart to lift the Ontario Hockey League to a 5-3 come-from-behind win over Russia in Game 3 of the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge in Kitchener, Ontario on Thursday.

Wayne Simmonds of the Owen Sound Attack, Josh Bailey of the Windsor Spitfires and Cory Emmerton of the Kingston Frontenacs also scored for the OHL while league scoring leader John Tavares of the Oshawa Generals was the OHL’s player of the game after chipping in three assists in the win.

“It was definitely a team effort,” said Tavares, the OHL and CHL player of the year last season. “It seemed like every line chipped in and did their part. We had a bit of a slow start, we were a little nervous, but we got rolling and had a great third period.”

Anton Korolev had a goal and an assist while Marat Fakhrutdinov and Mikail Milekhin also scored for Russia, who dropped to 1-1-0-1 in the challenge after splitting their first two games against the QMJHL earlier this week.

The Russians opened the scoring early in the first period when Fakhrutdinov picked up a loose pick in the slot and slid it through the legs of London Knights’ goaltender Steve Mason. Korolev chipped in a powerplay marker to give the Russians a two-goal lead before the midway point of the opening period.

“They were definitely a little better than last year in this challenge,” Tavares said. “I think we were definitely a little surprised. They played hard all night and they got some good goaltending but we came back and we were able to get the win.”

Simmonds, on a powerplay, and Bailey replied for the OHL to tie the game before the first period was over.

Milekhin restored the Russian lead with a powerplay marker early in the second period before Emmerton countered with the Russians down two men late in the middle frame to tie the game at three.

Mitchell scored the game-winner approaching the midway point of the third period when he grabbed a loose puck in front of the net and wired a wrist shot over Russian goaltender Stanislav Galimov’s shoulder. Spaling converted a two-on-one with Tavares eluding a poke-check before backhanding the puck into an open net to give the OHL a two-goal advantage.

Mason made 15 saves in the win, including a point-blank save on Vadim Golubtsov to preserve the two-goal lead late in the third period. Galimov was his team’s star of the game turning aside 42 shots, including 16 of 17 in the second period to keep the game tied.

The series continues on Monday in Sudbury (7:00 p.m. Eastern on Rogers Sportsnet) with top rated NHL draft prospect Steven Stamkos of the Sarnia Sting in the lineup for Team OHL. The series concludes with games in Cranbrook, B.C. on November 28 and Medicine Hat, Alberta on November 29. All games will be shown nationally on Rogers Sportsnet.

Game Summary
OHL 5, Russian Selects 3

First period
1. Russia – Fakhrutdinov (Polukhin) 1:26
2. Russia – Korolev (Gordeev, Kalimulin) 8:23 PP
3. OHL – Simmonds (Couture, Del Zotto) 14:03 PP
4. OHL – Bailey (Tavares, MacLean) 17:19
Penalties: OHL – Azevedo (elbowing) 8:15; Russia – Fakhrutdinov (hooking) 12:32; OHL – Simmonds (tripping) 17:44

Second Period
5. Russia – Milekhin (Korolev, Seleznev) 7:30 PP
6. OHL – OHL – Emmerton (Tavares, Legein) 18:03 PP
Penalties: OHL – Doughty (hooking) 1:24; Russia – Kalimulin (interference) 2:41; OHL – Corrente (high sticking) 5:54; OHL – Cuma (roughing) 7:14; Russia – Golubtsov (roughing) 7:14; Russia – Grishin (holding) 7:43; Russia – Sayustov (slashing) 8:02; Russia – Bench minor 17:55; Russia – Grishin (roughing) 17:55; Russia – Seleznev (roughing) 18:59; OHL – Legein (roughing) 18:59

Third Period
7. OHL –Mitchell (Caputi, Corrente) 8:27
8. OHL – Spaling (Tavares, Halischuk) 8:54
Penalties: Russia – Seleznev (slashing) 11:25; Russia – Kurbatov (hooking) 14:38; Russia – Seleznev (unsportsmanlike conduct) 15:53; OHL – Del Zotto (holding) 15:53; Russia – Kolesnikov (high sticking) 17:10; Russia – Lukjanchikov (cross checking) 18:58; OHL – Simmonds (roughing) 19:58

Goaltenders (Mins / GA / Saves)
OHL – Mason W (60:00 / 3 / 15)
Russia – Galimov L (60:00 / 5 / 42)

Shots by Period
OHL – 14 18 15 - 47
Russia – 6 5 7 - 18

Quebec evens ADT Challenge with shootout win

2007 Nov-21

By: Aaron Bell

After dropping the opening game if the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge on Monday, Brad Marchand was determined not to let it happen again.

The Val-d’Or Foreurs sniper scored one goal in regulation and the winner in the shootout to pace the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to a 3-2 win over the Russian Selects in Game 2 of the series on Wednesday in Gatineau.

Marchand opened the scoring late in the first period and then Christopher DiDomenico gave the QMJHL a two-goal lead early in the second.

Alexander Vasyunov and Vadim Golubtsov scored goals less than a minute apart in the second period to tie the game for the Russians.

After a scoreless third period, the game went straight to a shootout to decide the winner. Marchand was the sixth shooter and first to score. Keven Veilleux also scored in the shootout.

Lewiston MAINEiacs goaltender Jonathan Bernier went the distance for the QMJHL, making 21 saves in regulation time and stopping all four shooters he faced in the shootout.

Sergey Gayduchenko took the loss in his first appearance in the tournament after allowing two goals on 28 shots in regulation and stopping two of four shooters in the shootout.

The series continues on Thursday in Kitchener (7:00 p.m. Eastern on Rogers Sportsnet) before moving to Sudbury on Monday. The series concludes with games in Cranbrook, B.C. on November 28 and Medicine Hat, Alberta on November 29. All games will be shown nationally on Rogers Sportsnet and the Quebec-based games will be shown live in Quebec on RDS.

Game Summary
QMJHL 3, Russian Selects 2 (Shootout)

First period
1. QMJHL – Brad Marchand (Claude Giroux, Mathieu Perrault) 18:27
Penalties: Ryan Hillier 7:46

Second Period
2. QMJHL – Christopher DiDomenico (Ryan Hillier) 2:22
3. Russia – Alexander Vasyunov (Valery Zhukov, Yacheslav Solodukhin) 8:00
4. Russia – Vadim Golubtsov (Dmitry Sayustov) 8:58
Penalties: QMJHL – Claude Giroux 6:49; Russia – Alexei Dostoinov 11:52; QMJHL – Yann Sauve 16:53

Third Period
No scoring
Penalties: QMJHL - Francois Bouchard 2:32; Russia - Evgeny Kurbatov 4:25; Russia - Evgeny Kurbatov 9:07; Russia - Evgeny Kurbatov 9:07; Russia - Nikolay Okhlobystin 9:07; Russia - Vadim Golubtsov 9:07; QMJHL - Alex Grant 9:07; QMJHL - Kevin Marshall 9:07; QMJHL - Andrew Bodnarchuk 10:33; QMJHL - Alex Grant 11:49; Russia - Evgeny Kurbatov 13:29; Russia - Pavel Doronin 18:30

Shootout
Russia – Mikail Milekhin (no goal)
QMJHL – Claude Giroux (no goal)
Russia – Dmitry Sayustov (no goal)
QMJHL – Mathieu Perrault (no goal)
Russia – Vadim Golubtsov (no goal)
QMJHL – Brad Marchand (goal)
Russia – Marat Fakhrutdinov (no goal)
QMJHL – Keven Veilleux (goal)

Goaltenders (Mins / GA / Saves)
QMJHL – Jonathan Bernier (60:00 / 2 / 21)
Russia – Sergey Gayduchenko (60:00 / 2 / 26)

Shots by Period
QMJHL – 7 11 10 – 28
Russia – 8 7 8 - 23

WHL Announces Honourary Captains for ADT Canada Russia Challenge

2007 Nov-21

By: Aaron Bell

Calgary , AB – The Western Hockey League today announced the Honourary Captains for Team WHL in the upcoming ADT Canada-Russia Challenge.

Former Kootenay Ice goaltender Dan Blackburn will serve as the Honourary Captain for the game held in Cranbrook, B.C. (Kootenay) on November 28 while Medicine Hat Tiger Alumnus Kelly Hrudey will in act in the same capacity for the game in Medicine Hat on November 29.

Blackburn played two seasons with the Kootenay Ice (1999-2001), posting an overall record of 67-22-9 and goals against average of 2.64. He led the Ice to a WHL Championship during his rookie tenure in 2000 and was named CHL and WHL Goaltender of the Year in 2001.

In June 2001 Blackburn was selected in the 1 st round – 10 th overall by the New York Rangers at the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to start 31 games, as an 18 year old, for the ‘blueshirts’ in his rookie NHL season and for his efforts was named to the 2002 NHL All Rookie Team. Blackburn started 32 games in his second year with the Rangers, before sustaining a nerve injury in his shoulder during the Rangers 2003 Training Camp which caused him to sit out the entire 2003-04 NHL season and eventually led to his retirement from the game in 2005.

Blackburn now lives in Dallas, Texas working in hockey as manager of business development for the Goaltender Development Institute (GDIhockey.com).

Kelly Hrudey played three seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers (1978-1981), posting an overall record of 69-76-12 and goals against average of 4.77 while playing over 9000 minutes. He went on to be drafted by the New York Islanders in the 2 nd round – 38 th overall at the 1980 NHL Entry Draft.

Hrudey went onto an illustrious 15 year career as an NHL goaltender with the New York Islanders, LA Kings, and San Jose Sharks. He compiled a record of 271-265-88 with a goals against average of 3.43, with 16 shutouts. He helped lead the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals where they were eventually defeated by the Montreal Canadians.

In July of 1998, Hrudey retired from the NHL and joined the cast of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada as a full-time analyst.

Team WHL Roster Changes for ADT Canada Russia Challenge

The WHL also announced two roster changes for the ADT Canada Russia Challenge Series games in Cranbrook and Medicine Hat. Kootenay Ice forward Dustin Sylvester will replace injured teammate Ben Maxwell in the Team WHL line up for the game in Cranbrook on Wednesday, November 28 th. Meanwhile, due to the re-scheduling of the Vancouver Giants and Prince George Cougars game on Thursday, November 29 th, Saskatoon Blades Braden Holtby will replace the Giants’ Tyson Sexsmith as the back-up goaltender in the game Thursday, November 29 th in Medicine Hat. In addition, Swift Current Broncos General Manager and Head Coach Dean Chynoweth will replace Don Hay as an Assistant Coach for the game in Medicine Hat.

The second game of the ADT Canada Russia Challenge Series will be held tonight in Gatineau, QC as the Quebec Major Junior League tries to tie the series with the Russian National Junior Team. The series will then shift to the Ontario Hockey League with games between Team OHL and the Russians Thursday, November 22 nd in Kitchener and Monday, November 26 th in Sudbury. The ADT Canada Russia Series then moves west as Team WHL plays host to the Russians Wednesday, November 28 th in Cranbrook, B.C. and Thursday, November 29 th in Medicine Hat, AB.

Game tickets are available at the Kootenay Ice Office (250) 417-0322 and at the Medicine Hat Tigers Box Office ( 403) 527-8406 .