2007-08 National Men's Under-18 Team

EBERLE’S OVERTIME WINNER CLINCHES VICTORY FOR CANADA

MINSK, Belarus – Jordan Eberle (Calgary, AB/Regina, WHL) was the overtime hero as Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team topped Finland 6-5 on Friday night at the Palace of Sport.

The win wrapped up a 1-1 pre-tournament schedule ahead of the 2008 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, which opens April 13th in Kazan, Russia when Canada takes on Germany.

“It’s a great feeling to put one in for the win,” Eberle said following the game. “The more we play together, the more we are gelling as a team, and that’s great news moving forward to the world championship.”

Eberle took a pass from Cody Hodgson (Markham, ON/Brampton, OHL) and beat Finnish goaltender Joonas Kuusela, ending a game that took a little longer than the Canadians had hoped.

Up 4-1 early in the third period, Canada watched the Finns score four times – three coming on the powerplay, two of those on 5-on-3 advantages – to force the extra period.

“I thought we did a lot of things better tonight than we did last night," said Canadian head coach Pat Quinn. “We are much more unified, and played much more like a team tonight. In the third, the penalties caught up to us, and we were down two men too many times.”

Unlike Thursday night’s loss to Belarus, the Canadians came out with intensity against Finland, and were rewarded when Matthew Duchene (Haliburton, ON/Brampton, OHL) opened the scoring late in the opening frame.

Goals from Hodgson and Corey Trivino (Toronto, ON/Stouffville, OPJHL) gave Canada a 3-0 lead at the game’s midway point, and the Canadians looked to be well on their way to a victory.

But the Finns answered with a 5-on-3 goal before the end of the period and, after Hodgson restored the three-goal lead with a shorthanded marker just 38 seconds into the third period, connected twice more while up two men to pull to within one at 4-3.

Nicolas Deschamps (Delton, QC/Chicoutimi, QMJHL) scored Canada’s second shorthanded goal of the period to push the Canadian lead back to two at 5-3, but the Finns wrapped up a wild 3:27 with a pair of goals of their own to pull even at 5-5 and force the extra period.

Fittingly, it was special teams that decided the game, as Eberle’s goal came with Canada on the powerplay.

The team departs for Kazan tomorrow morning and will practice tomorrow night in advance of their tournament-opener against the Germans.

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Final OT

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2

2

6

0

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4

5

Goals/Buts :
CAN – Matthew Duchene (Maxime Sauvé, Corey Trivino) 17:18 PP

Penalties/Pénalités :
FIN – Rasmus Rissanen (Hooking/Accroché) 1:42
FIN – Tommi Kivisto (Hooking/Accroché) 4:40
CAN – Travis Harmonic (Hooking/Accroché) 8:29
CAN – Marco Scandella (Tripping/Trébuché) 10:20
CAN – Taylor Hall (Tripping/Trébuché) 12:44
FIN – Nico Manelius (Hooking/Accroché) 14:54
FIN – Joonas Rask (Hooking/Accroché) 15:49
FIN – Tommi Kivisto (Cross Checking/Double-échec) 18:20
CAN – Brayden Schenn (Slashing/Coup de bâton) 18:29

Goals/Buts :
CAN – Cody Hodgson (Jordan Eberle, Nicolas Deschamps) 8:26 PP
CAN – Corey Trivino (Greg Nemisz) 10:26
FIN – Teemu Hartikainen (Jere Sallinen, Nico Manelius) 13:31 PP

Penalties/Pénalités :
FIN – Rasmus Rissanen (Holding/Retenu) 7:01
FIN – Rasmus Rissanen (Hooking/Accroché) 7:01
CAN – Tyler Myers (Elbowing/Donné du coude) 11:23
CAN – Travis Hamonic (Tripping/Trébuché) 12:23
CAN – Tyler Cuma (Interference/Obstruction) 13:31
FIN – Joonas Nattinen (Holding/Retenu) 17:01
FIN – Tommi Kivisto (Tripping/Trébuché) 17:58

Goals/Buts :
CAN – Cody Hodgson 0:38 SH
FIN – Joonas Nattinen (Jere Sallinen, Nico Manelius) 10:07 PP
FIN – Erik Haula (Sami Vatanen, Toni Rajala) 11 :22 PP
CAN – Nicolas Deschamps (Brandon McMillan) 11:59 SH
FIN – Teemu Hartikainen (Rasmus Rissanen) 12 :37 PP
FIN – Joonas Nattinen (Erik Jaula) 13:34

Penalties/Pénalités :
CAN – Colby Robak (Boarding/Donner de la bande) 0:10
CAN – Colby Robak (Misconduct/Inconduite) 0:10
CAN – Tyler Myers (Roughing/Rudesse) 2:26
CAN – Colten Teubert (Crosschecking/Double-échec) 2:30
FIN – Teemu Hartikainen (High Sticking/Baton élevé) 4:36
CAN – Nicolas Deschamps (Roughing/Rudesse) 6:03
FIN – Tommi Kivisto (Roughing/Rudesse) 6:03
FIN – Teemu Hartikainen (Slashing/Coup de bâton) 6:46
CAN – Eric O’Dell (Boarding/Donner de la bande) 9:06
CAN – Tyler Myers (Charging/Assaut)
CAN – Matthew Duchene (Hooking/Accroché) 10:47
FIN – Jasse Ikonen (Boarding/Donner de la bande) 14:41