IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WRAP
Two Habs concluded their IIHF World Championship participation with medals yesterday. Tomas Plekanec and the Czech Republic beat host Finland in the Bronze Medal game by a 3-2 score. Plekanec had no points yesterday, finishing the tournament with 7 points in 10 games, one behind team leader Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers. Plekanec, the team's captain, averaged 17:58 of ice time per game, second to only Boston's David Krejci amongst Czech forwards. For his efforts, he was named one of his team's top 3 players by the coaching staff.
Winning Gold yesterday were Alexei Emelin and his Russian teammates, topping Cinderella Slovakia 6-2 to complete an undefeated tournament. Emelin finished the event with 2 goals and 2 assists in 9 games (he missed one with a suspension) and an impressive +12 rating, which was the best among Russian d-men, and fourth best overall in the tournament behind three forward teammates. He averaged 18:35 per game, which was second on his team to only Ilya Nikulin. Also winning Gold was former Hab Alexander Perezhogin who played a starring role for the squad with 4 goals and 9 points in 10 games, finishing third on the team. Don't get too excited however; there is word that he is close to signing a 2-year extension in the KHL, and even if he were to at some point return to North America, he'd be an unrestricted free agent.
MEMORIAL CUP UPDATES
The 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup began Friday night in Shawinigan with four Hab prospects in the mix. On opening night, the host team, featuring Montreal's Michael Bournival and Morgan Ellis, was downed by the Edmonton Oil Kings 4-3 with neither Canadien collecting a point. Ellis played a strong game, particularly at the point in the offensive zone, while Bournival was noticeable but not particularly impactful, finishing the night a -2.
On night 2, OHL champion London Knights and their captain Jarred Tinordi beat pre-tournament favourites Nathan Beaulieu and the Saint John Sea Dogs 5-3. Beaulieu recorded an assist in the loss, and was named the game's second star behind only London's Austin Watson. Tinordi, meanwhile, was a game-high +3. Good night for both first round selections.
The host Cataractes got on the board with a win on night three, besting London by an impressive 6-2 score. Captain Michael Bournival turned in a much better performance, with his goal, assist, and +2 rating earning him first star honours. Ellis finished a tied-for-game-high +3, while in the loss, Tinordi was a -1.
Saint John faces Edmonton tonight, and if the Sea Dogs win, all four clubs will be tied with 1-1 records.
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