canada winter games

[LG4]

Semi finals set. Team Ontario with its 12( ?) team canada U18 players and Team alberta with a round robin victory over Ontario are favorites. Free video link
http://canadagames.bellaliant.net/live.php?y=2011&m=02&d=25

 

[LG4]

Re: canada winter games

Great final shown on national tv. Team alberta shows first win is no fluke-- winning gold. Lots of Edge/JWHL players on Alberta.

 

[OnMAA]

Re: canada winter games

Great final shown on national tv. Team alberta shows first win is no fluke-- winning gold. Lots of Edge/JWHL players on Alberta.

I missed the game due to other commiments, but that is a first in a LOOOOOOOOONG time. To the best of my knowledge, Ontario Red had not lost a game at a U18 event since sometime in the 90's, and swept the U18's every year since then. Quebec took them to OT once (or maybe twice), but other than that they had an unblemished record in the first decade of the millenium.

 

[Redhouse]

Re: canada winter games

I saw most of the game. Ontario did have most of the play. Alberta goalie made some big saves. Alberta had a 5 on 3 PP, scored twice to go up 2-0. They got it to 3-0 before the end of the second. Ontario changed goalies and completely took it to Alberta in the third, but a combination of good Alberta goaltending and some bad shooting (funny how that often happens when shooters have been frustrated by a goalie) kept it scoreless late into the third when Alberta took two penalties concurrently. Ontario go it 3-2, but Alberta did a very good job of shutting them down. All in all a very good hockey game.

 

[rugrats]

Re: canada winter games

Semi finals set. Team Ontario with its 12( ?) team canada U18 players and Team alberta with a round robin victory over Ontario are favorites.

Ontario actually had 14 U18 players... Alberta 1... This may suggest that Hockey Canada look beyond the province of Ontario for their players.

Congrats to Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.

 

[Yaforsure]

Re: canada winter games

Ontario actually had 14 U18 players... Alberta 1... This may suggest that Hockey Canada look beyond the province of Ontario for their players.

Congrats to Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.

Exactly!....definitely hats off to Hockey AB !

 

[live4hockey]

Re: canada winter games

Ontario actually had 14 U18 players... Alberta 1... This may suggest that Hockey Canada look beyond the province of Ontario for their players.

QUOTE]

Yah, especially considering the 14 haven't done too well against the Red, White and Blue the last 4x they played them, and with only ONE u18 World Championship Gold medal in 4 years and frankly that one won with an **

 

[Trillium]

Re: canada winter games

Ontario actually had 14 U18 players... Alberta 1... This may suggest that Hockey Canada look beyond the province of Ontario for their players.

Congrats to Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.

Ya think?

Nice to see Alberta rebounding so well after a couple of soft years.

Most years I didn't think HC took nearly enough Ontario players, too much political correctness and all. This year I definitely thought they took too many. This is the weakest crop in Ontario in a reaallly loooonnngg time. Weak results versus USA definitely support that, as does apparently the CWG result.

Saw parts of this game. Looked pretty slow/sloppy on TV unfortunately.

 

[Lucky]

Re: canada winter games

Ya think?

Nice to see Alberta rebounding so well after a couple of soft years.

Most years I didn't think HC took nearly enough Ontario players, too much political correctness and all. This year I definitely thought they took too many. This is the weakest crop in Ontario in a reaallly loooonnngg time. Weak results versus USA definitely support that, as does apparently the CWG result.

Congrats to Alberta, a lot of girls west of Ontario got some much deserved exposure. Must be the first time in a loooooonnnngg time that no Ontario players were in the top 20 in points?

 

[HockeyCanada]

Re: canada winter games

anyone attend these games?....what's your take

 

[Stick Boy]

Re: canada winter games

Yup! Alberta simply seemed more determined than the Ontario squad and when it counted got solid goaltending to help lead the way. Their special teams were superior as well and that certainly helped and they were very tenacious. Manitoba and Quebec were very similar in ability and depth and were the closest teams that could match-up with the top two. Saskatchewan and British Columbia were very similar to each other while the Atlantic Canadian teams of Nova Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick and Newfoundland simply lacked depth - after their first/top three or four players they just couldn't compete and the wear and tear of a long intense even wore them down! The Yukon had the youngest team and was totally destroyed however they showed awesome spirit and truly played for the love of the game and a chance to compete against the best in the country.

 

[clarksoncluck]

Re: canada winter games

Who are the best that Alberta had. Forwards, D and Goaltenders? Alberta and Saskatchewan ended up 1st and 4th. Maybe the west is making a move on the east. I heard that BC was legit this time around. Any feedback or was nobody at the CWG's? Alberta must have had some talent to win over 13 Hockey Canada U - 18's?????

 

[5 4 Fighting]

Re: canada winter games

Who are the best that Alberta had. Forwards, D and Goaltenders? Alberta and Saskatchewan ended up 1st and 4th. Maybe the west is making a move on the east. I heard that BC was legit this time around. Any feedback or was nobody at the CWG's? Alberta must have had some talent to win over 13 Hockey Canada U - 18's?????[/QUOTE]

The thing is Alberta beat them twice...that was no fluke folks.

I'll say it again...Canada didn't have their best team in Stockholm.

 

[Choot]

Re: canada winter games

Ontario was good..but Alta goalie was better. Alta capatalized..where Ont couldnt. Two good teams. I would say that Man, Sask and BC were a saw off. Manitoba had some flashy forwards and a real easy draw early that hurt them when they played Sask...BC had their chances and a couple top Dmen... solid goaltending..but forwards couldnt finish. Sask had 18 of the same player...hardworking group. Im sure Alta and the west did not go un noticed.

 

[LG4]

Re: canada winter games

Ontario was good..but Alta goalie was better. Alta capatalized..where Ont couldnt. Two good teams. I would say that Man, Sask and BC were a saw off. Manitoba had some flashy forwards and a real easy draw early that hurt them when they played Sask...BC had their chances and a couple top Dmen... solid goaltending..but forwards couldnt finish. Sask had 18 of the same player...hardworking group. Im sure Alta and the west did not go un noticed.[/QUOTE

BC in the end won two games vs NFLD and Nova Scotia and lost 3 games by 4 to 0 scores to the top 3 of Alberta ,Ont and Quebec. Trouble with the games was they didn't use the same format as the boys where you have three pools with the weaker teams in a pool c. This was in the original plans. I think both Quebec and Manitoba would have wanted at least to have played each other in the round robin. Playing Yukon did not help any teams prepare except maybe the Yukon youngsters --their fans were great .One of my favorite thoughts would be Nova Scotia showed sportsmanship by allowing yukon a goal with 2 secs left in the third.
Alberta did make the most of their chances and the great thing was I believe that both AB goalies did an Ontario game. Ontario playing 10 minutes of a 3rd period vs Alberta with a goalie pulled and barely allowing a shot in a smaller rink sure showed nice skills as well

 

[5 4 Fighting]

Re: canada winter games

At the end of the day...what does all this tell you about the selection process at Hockey Canada? Too many old paints involved that have an agenda other than winning. Kids getting picked, not because of the merit of the player, but because of who they are or who they rub shoulders with. Many hockey people in the know out West were absolutley floored when the selection camp and final roster's were announced for U18. Too many good players from the rest of Canada were left at home presumably because the PWHL is percieved to be the "Best League in the World."

I would submit it's high time that a few old barnacles are scraped off the good ship Hockey Canada. That was embarrassing.