Team Canada forward Jonathan Drouin in Toronto on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
December 14, 2013 - 1:39 PM
TORONTO, Cananda - Connor McDavid scored on a second period power play as Canada's national junior team dominated play but struggled to score in a 3-0 victory over the CIS Toronto Selects in an exhibition game Saturday afternoon.
The 16-year-old McDavid was at the edge of the crease to lift Kerby Rychel's feed past Andrew Perugini at 13:37 of the second period.
Josh Anderson added a goal only 15 seconds into the third period and Charles Hudon added an empty-net goal in the final minute after picking off a cross-ice pass at the Canada blue-line.
The game against a selection of Toronto-area university players is part of a three-day camp for Canada before they leave Sunday for the world junior championships, which open Dec. 26 in Malmo, Sweden.
Canada outshot the students 19-3 in the opening period and had Hudon, Curtis Lazar and Sam Reinhart hit goalposts. Still, Selects goalie Garrett Sheehan kept it scoreless.
McDavid and Reinhart looked to combine on a goal early in the second frame, but the officials ruled the net was off its moorings.
Anderson, a physical force the entire game, finished a play with Rychel and Frederik Gauthier by firing a puck under the crossbar to start the third.
Coach Brent Sutter gave young players Reinhart and McDavid lots of special teams ice time, including using McDavid on the point for a two-man advantage. Both looked dangerous around the net.
Zachary Fucale started for Canada and Jake Paterson took over at 10:06 of the second. Fucale had to be sharp on two chances by Andrew Buck early in the second after a turnover in Canada's end.
Notes: Canada scratched four players who are all-but locks to make the team _ Griffin Reinhart, Bo Horvat, Josh Morrissey and Nic Petan. Jonathan Drouin, still recovering from a concussion, did not play. . . The CIS team was made up of players from York, Toronto and Ryerson universities. . . Canada has a practice Sunday morning and then heads for Europe, where it will play pre-tournament games against Finland, Sweden and Switzerland.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013