November 1, 2009
USA Hockey
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders forward Mike Parks. (USHL Images)
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. - Mike Parks (O'Fallon, Mo./Cedar Rapids RoughRiders) collected a goal and two assists, but the U.S. Junior Select Team fell to Canada East, 5-4, in a shootout here tonight at the World Junior A Challenge at Credit Union Place in Summerside, P.E.I.
"We did a lot of good things tonight but got away from our game in the third period," said Mark Carlson, head coach of the 2009 U.S. Junior Select Team. "Canada East showed us that we need to play consistently for 60 minutes in order to be successful."
After a holding penalty left the U.S. shorthanded, David Pratt gave Canada East a 1-0 lead with a power-play marker at 6:53 of the opening frame.
Team USA, which was held scoreless in the first stanza, potted four second-period goals en route to a 4-1 advantage. Parks' pass sent Shane Berschbach (Clawson, Mich./Indiana Ice) on a breakaway, who sent a shot over Canadian East goaltender Matt Ginn's shoulder for a shorthanded tally at 7:36. The U.S. took the lead at 10:11 after a cycle play in the left corner between Parks, Beau Bennett (Gardena, Calif.) and Colten St. Clair (Gilbert, Ariz./Fargo Force). Bennett sent a pass to Parks, who skated toward the front of the net and fired a shot over Ginn's glove. The U.S. extended its lead 13 seconds later with John Parker's (Green Brook, N.J./Indiana Ice) rebound goal off of a Nick Sorkin (Rockville, Md./Waterloo Black Hawks) shot. Beau Bennett, who was named Team USA's player of the game, gave the U.S. a 4-1 advantage after firing his own rebound past Ginn at 16:01. Parks collected his second assist of the game on the play.
Canada East responded with three unanswered goals in the third period to tie the game, 4-4. Nick Huard struck first with a tally at 2:51 to close the gap, 4-2. Canada East scored twice in the final 4:01 of the stanza, with a goal from Campbell and a power-play marker from Jacob Laliberte at 18:43 to send the game into overtime.
In the overtime period, U.S. netminder Will Yanakeff (Jerome, Mich./Sioux City Musketeers), who made 20 saves during the game, kept the contest tied after stopping a Canada East penalty shot with 1:04 remaining.
After a scoreless overtime period, the first two skaters from each team registered successful attempts in the shootout, including Team USA's Berschbach and Beau Bennett. After Brock Higgs scored for Canada East, Matt Leitner's (Los Alamitos, Calif./Fargo Force) attempt was stopped by Ginn as Canada East garnered the 5-4 victory.
Team USA faces off against Belarus in its next game Tuesday (Nov. 3) at 6 p.m. EST.
