WU17 Notebook
On the competition and overall skill level, the 2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge more than met the lofty expectations that were set for it.
But aside from the gold-medal game, attendance at the week-long event that was held in Sault Ste. Marie was on the low side.
Whether it was the steep price of an adult ticket, the lack of noticeable advertising and promotion throughout the city or the sluggish Sault Ste. Marie economy, the event failed to become the talk of the town and it showed in the disappointingly-low attendance at the majority of the games.
As for the hockey itself, it can be aptly described in one word: “Wow.”
With the best 2000 birth-year players in the world on the frozen stage — many of them who are Ontario Hockey League rookies and already being pegged as National Hockey League draft picks for two years down the road in 2018 — the level of play was dazzling, especially during the playoff and medal matches with numerous one-goal games.
The gold-medal match itself was a dandy with Sweden capping off a splendid week of competition on Saturday by edging Team Canada Black 2-1.
Sweden had advanced to the title tilt by defeating Team Canada White 3-2 in a shootout.
And Team Canada Black knocked off Russia 3-2, also in a shootout, to earn its spot in the final.
It was a tough loss for Team Canada Black, which settled for the silver medal.
“I think we just needed to capitalize on our chances a little more,” said Team Canada Black captain Ty Smith.
“We had chances to tie the game and take the lead earlier on and we had that power play in the third period…but we just couldn’t get the goal to tie it,” added Smith, who is a defenseman with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League.
Or as Team Canada coach Paul Boutilier noted, the game came down to “a bounce either way.”
Boutilier praised his own players and was gracious in defeat.
“We’re proud of the kids, there will be other games and we think the score will be the other way for our group down the road,” Boutilier said. “Hats off to Sweden and congratulations to those guys, they worked hard.”
Swedish coach Ulf Lundberg had more of the same to say.
“From our goalie to our defencemen to our forwards, I’m very proud of the team,” said Lundberg. “We played a very good Canada team…there’s a very small difference between the two teams.”
In the bronze-medal game, Russia cuffed Team Canada White 6-1.
In all, eight teams took part in the event.
All teams played three round-robin games before moving on to the quarter-finals, semi-finals or ranking matches.
Following the top four finishers from the gold and bronze medal matches, Team USA took fifth place, Team Canada Red ended up in sixth, Finland finished in seventh spot while the Czech Republic checked in at eighth.
OHL STANDOUTS
Among the OHL players who were a part of the three Team Canada squads, those whose names were mentioned in very-flattering terms by a cross-section of a number of NHL and OHL scouts and hockey analysts who were in attendance included goalie Jacob Ingham of the Mississauga Steelheads, defensemen Owen Lalonde of the Sudbury Wolves and Giovanni Vallati of the Kitchener Rangers and forwards Ty Dellandrea of the Flint Firebirds, Aidan Dudas of the Owen Sound Attack and Akil Thomas of the Niagara IceDogs.
SCOUTING
Among the throng of scouts in attendance was Sault Ste. Marie native Mike Dawson, who works for the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.
The 43-year old Dawson played three seasons in the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs and the erstwhile Newmarket Royals before moving on to the Canadian university and European pro levels.
The affable Dawson lives and works out of Kingston, where he spent the majority of his OHL career as a medium-sized, albeit hard-nosed defenseman.
The Battalion’s Adam McMaster took the penalty that led to the winning Swedish goal so I guess that put him in the doghouse for awhile.