Title: Canada Pacific team falls just short of semifinal berth
Date: January 2, 2013
Original Source: The Edmonton Journal
Synopsis: I am doing a short internship over the holidays at The Edmonton Journal. My latest piece was a very brief gamer after an Under-17 World Championship hockey game. This article appeared appeared in the Jan. 3 print edition of the Edmonton Journal.
Team Canada Pacific couldn’t capitalize on a six-on-four advantage at the end of regulation time against Team Canada West. As a result, Russia will advance to the semifinals of the world under-17 hockey championship.
Canada Pacific, which is made up of 11 players from Alberta and 11 from British Columbia, needed three points from a regulation win to be one of the top two teams in Group A and move on to the semis.
While Pacific won 4-3 in overtime, it was worth only two points in the standings, and that meant a third-place finish in its pool after three overtime wins and a loss.
Canada West tied the game at 3-3 with just three minutes to play, putting the pressure on Pacific to score. With a late power play, Pacific held off pulling its goalie until the one-minute mark, despite needing a goal to advance. In the end, Pacific could hardly get a clean shot off, let alone score.
Russia and Sweden advance to the playoffs from Group A.
Pacific will play against either Quebec or Ontario in the fifth-place game at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. The gold-medal game at 5:30 p.m. Friday will air on TSN2.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 