The first Canada-Russia rivalry game for Prince George’s own Jon Cooper was an emotional roller-coaster.
After being down by two tallies through 40 minutes, the 49-year-old Head Coach lifted his team emotionally and mentally, leading to a four-goal third period performance to win the first Semi-Final of the 2017 IIHF Men’s World Championships, 4-2.
BREAKING: @HC_Men off to #IIHFWorlds Gold Medal Game under coach Jon Cooper! #CityOfPG native leads team to 4-2 comeback win over #Russia pic.twitter.com/blRLznLMjr
— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) May 20, 2017
Mark Scheifele (on the power-play), Nathan MacKinnon, Ryan O’Reilly, and Sean Couturier scored the goals to send the nation to the Gold Medal Game.
Cooper had three of his Tampa Bay Lightning stars on the Russian side, including Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov, and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy,
Canada now faces Team Sweden Sunday morning at 11:30AM Pacific time in Cologne, Germany, hoping to win a third straight title.
MEMORIAL CUP:
The Seattle Thunderbirds made their first franchise appearance at the CHL’s Memorial Cup Saturday afternoon.
The WHL champions kept up with a skill-filled Erie Otters squad, but fell to the winners of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) by a score of 4-2.
Defenceman Austin Strand tied the game for Seattle with 53 seconds left in the middle frame, but Otters’ Captain, and Connor McDavid’s former linemate, Dylan Strome potted the game-winner 96 seconds into the third.
WATCH THIS: Sit back and enjoy #MCMemorialCup 2nd period goals by DeBrincat & Sambrook @ErieOtters, plus Eansor & Strand @SeattleTbirds. pic.twitter.com/FcMCdgAIp4
— CanadianHockeyLeague (@CHLHockey) May 20, 2017
T-Birds rookie netminder Carl Stankowski made 31 saves, while Erie’s Troy Timpano stopped 18 shots out of 20.
Seattle will play the host Windsor Spitfires Sunday afternoon at 4PM Pacific time.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS: Scott Eansor & Austin Strand scored in our first game at the Mastercard Memorial Cup. https://t.co/CoQVV0mk6A pic.twitter.com/KRcOAtraiM
— Seattle Thunderbirds (@SeattleTbirds) May 21, 2017
VEES OUT OF RBC CUP:
Penticton will not play for another National Junior A title in recent years after getting crunched by Cobourg in the Semi-Finals.
The Vees lost by a score of 3-1 by the RBC Cup hosts, with the last goal being an empty-netter.
Recap: #Vees memorable 2016-17 season ends in @HC_RBCCup semifinal heartbreak Saturday: https://t.co/khzyBeQ3Zw #RBCCup #ThankYou pic.twitter.com/DSrpc9y9N4
— Penticton Vees (@PentictonVees) May 20, 2017
Nicholas Jones was the lone scorer for the BCHL champions, coming near the midway point of the second period on a man-advantage.
Goaltender Mathew Robson stopped 25 of the 27 shots he faced, while Cougars’ Stefano Durante halted 27 shots.
Cobourg will have a chance to win the championship in front of their home fans up against the AJHL-winner Brooks Bandits, 2:30PM Pacific on Sunday afternoon.
