2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge

GOALTENDERS SHINE AS GOLD EDGES BLACK AT U17 CAMP

JASON LA ROSE

CALGARY, Alta. – Jonathan Lemieux (Beloeil, Que./Collège Antoine-Girouard, LHMAAAQ) and Ethan Fitzgerald (NWCAA Stampeders, AMMHL) combined for 29 saves, backstopping Gold to a 2-1 win over Black on Wednesday night, capping the first day of games at Canada’s national under-17 development camp.

Logan Chisholm (Antigonish, N.S./Cape Breton West, NSMMHL) had both goals for Gold, which won despite being outshot 30-27.

Goaltending was the story from the first drop of the puck, as Lemieux and Black netminder Tommy Da Silva (La Prairie, Que./Collège Charles-Lemoyne, LHMAAAQ) kept the game scoreless through a first period that saw Black hold a 14-9 advantage in shots on goal.

Jacson Alexander (Victoria, B.C./Shawnigan Lake School, CSSHL) needed just 77 seconds of the second period to open the scoring, getting a seeing-eye point shot past Lemieux on a Black power play, but that would be the lone puck to elude a Gold goaltender.

Chisholm took advantage of a miscue by Da Silva to tie the game just shy of the five-minute mark of the middle frame, jumping on an errant pass in the slot to make it 1-1.

Lemieux and Da Silva gave way to Fitzgerald and Ethan Langevin (Brooklin, Ont./Whitby, OMHA), respectively, with 8:35 gone in the second period, with Lemieux having stopped 18 of 19 shots, and Da Silva turning aside 15 of 16.

Chisholm struck again with 1:52 left in the second; Ethan Keppen (Whitby, Ont./Toronto Nationals, GTHL) pulled the puck out of a scrum in the corner and carried behind the net before finding Chisholm in the slot for the game-winner.

Gold held Black to just five shots in the third period as it held on for the camp-opening victory.

Fitzgerald – added to camp on Monday to replace Ryan Dugas (Hamilton, Ont./Mississauga Reps, GTHL) – was perfect on 11 shots in his 25 minutes of work (periods at camp are 17 minutes), while Langevin allowed just a single goal on 11 shots directed his way.