In Oakville, Ontario
Simon Lafrance scored for Usport at 9:49 of the first period.
Matthew Wood from Ty Nelson and Denver Barkey at 14:21 of the first period.
Shots on goal in the first period were 8-8
Matthew Wood got his second goal of the game at 10:51 of the second period.
Jake Furlong scores for Canada at 18:10 in the middle period with the assists going to Macklin Celebrini and Jordan Dumais.
Usports outshot Canada 10-9
USports made it 3-2 when Riley Stotts scored. Assists went to Matthew Struthers and Dylan Plouffe
Jake Furlong got his second goal of the night to win the game for Canada 4-2
All four goalies at Canada’s camp played on Tuesday. Mathis Rousseau of the Mooseheads started but was replaced by Scott Ratzlaff from the Seattle Thunderbirds in the second period. DiVincentiis started for USports, later replaced by St-Hilaire.Letang expressed satisfaction with all four goalies, praising the healthy competition and pushing each other. Ratzlaff had the best save percentage at .929, followed by DiVincentiis at .923, Rousseau at .917, and St-Hilaire at .846.
No clear frontrunner has emerged for the starting position on Boxing Day. Rousseau spoke about the competition, emphasizing the desire to prove oneself as the best. Hockey Canada management faces a tough decision, considering Rousseau’s strong junior performance and DiVincentiis’s size and resilience. Despite facing adversity in the season, DiVincentiis is building confidence. Rousseau, though not the tallest, showcased an impressive .934 save percentage in 21 games. Ratzlaff, Canada’s youngest contender, has a gold medal from the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Anholt highlighted Ratzlaff’s history with the program, while St-Hilaire has been solid in the QMJHL. Ratzlaff, a Buffalo Sabres prospect, holds an .889 save percentage in 20 WHL games, while St-Hilaire, undrafted, boasts a .920 save percentage in 23 QMJHL games.
