Canada West advances to final at Jr. A Challenge

Sometimes, timing can be everything.

After an 0-2 round robin for Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge, the team turned things around with two straight wins when it mattered most: in the elimination round.

On Thursday, Canada West got revenge on the Czech Republic in the semifinal of the World Junior A Challenge in Truro, N.S., topping them 5-1 to advance to the final against the United States. The Czechs beat Canada West 5-2 in the round robin four days earlier.

Levi Kleiboer and Chrystopher Collin are the only two Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League players on the squad.

“It’s been unreal so far, such a good experience,” Kleiboer said over the phone on Friday morning. “Playing with all these guys is really cool. They’re all good guys and you get to make some new friends.

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“The first couple days was tough because there are a lot of guys from the [British Columbia Hockey League], there’s 15 of them so they kind of all know each other but there are seven of us from other leagues…so lots of team builders and stuff like that to get the guys close. It’s really important in this tournament because it’s so short.”

Canada West is coached by Mike Reagan, the head coach of the Flin Flon Bombers, who spent last year as an assistant before getting the head job this time around.

Thursday’s semifinal win was highlighted by a dominating third period where the Canadians struck four times

“We’ve always been stressing to chip pucks and blow guys wide, so that’s what we did yesterday,” Kleiboer said. “Did the gameplan and it worked out well.”

The game’s best goal (by far) was the first of the game, when Vernon Vipers forward Brett Stapley weaved his way through the entire Czech team and deposited a perfect shot to the top corner.

With just over 8 min left in the 2nd, @BrettStapley gives #CANWest a 1-0 lead with an unreal individual effort. Look at him fly #WJAC @HC_WJAC pic.twitter.com/v2vptJIZg1

— Nathan Kanter (@NathanKanter11) December 15, 2017

Stapley added a second goal on Thursday in the third, while Angus Crookshank, Dylan Holloway, and Brendan Budy also found the back of the net.

Canada qualified for the semis after a 4-3 overtime win on Wednesday over Canada East, when Ross Armour scored on a breakaway 42 seconds into the 4-on-4. Armour, a Trail Smoke Eaters forward committed to Bemidji State University for next season, currently co-leads the tournament with five points.

Levi Kleiboer & #CANWest🇨🇦 advance to the SF at @HC_WJAC after @Rarmour9 scores on a breakaway 42 seconds into OT vs. #CANEast🇨🇦.
Here's the goal #WJAC pic.twitter.com/IuBA9TvQo8

— Nathan Kanter (@NathanKanter11) December 14, 2017

The gold medal game between Canada West and the United States, who defeated Russia 5-0 in the other semifinal, is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. Saskatchewan time (3 p.m. locally in Truro, N.S.).

The U.S. and Canada have already met in the round robin, when the States came away with a narrow 2-1 win after Jack Dugan poked in a loose puck with 32.7 seconds remaining to break a 1-1 deadlock.

“I would say we were the better team in the round robin game. They just got more fortunate on their bounce there,” Kleiboer said. “[Tomorrow] we’ve just got to play our game and do what the coaches have been stressing. Chip pucks, play our game and it will all work out.”

cjnbsports@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BattlefordsNOW