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2011 World Sport School Challenge – Team Finland

I watched two games today – Shattuck St. Mary's beat the Slovak National U17 team; and the Finland National U17 team hammered the hometown Edge Prep AAA team.

The Finns were AMAZING! I plan to go watch them play Shattuck tommorow for the Gold Medal. They put on an absolute CLINIC! Their essential skillset, combined with their creative, free-wheeling heads up play epitomized intelligent hockey!

You really need to see these Finns play. This was the best display of hockey I have ever seen IN MY LIFE; AT ANY LEVEL. This is the zen moment that I hope to one day achieve; to be behind the bench watching my kids completely dismantle an opponent with amazing heads-up, intelligent, skilled play!

It is 'the perfect model' of what I believe hockey should look like… independent problem-solverss (coaches free to enjoy the best seats in the house!), kids moving into holes, at the right times (multiple options), highly skilled, deceptive skills, change of pace, 1 v 1 confidence and ability… this from a pure 1995 team (with one 1996 – #29!) against a team of primarily 1994's and a few 1995's! WOW! Shattuck has three 1993's and a lot of 1994's; so it will be a size and strength battle… but even though the Finns were small in stature (and weight), their skating ability, balance and acceleration (not too mention vision!) made the "David's" outplay the "Goliath's"!

You might be able to watch it online. Not sure about a fee… but DAMN, if you can somehow buy the DVD from the Fin / Edge game, I recommend it!

http://hockeycanada.fasthockey.com/login.php

Here is the article:

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December 30, 2011
NR.177

FINLAND, SHATTUCK-ST. MARY’S TO PLAY FOR GOLD MEDAL AT 2011 WORLD SPORT SCHOOL CHALLENGE

CALGARY, Alta. – After posting semifinal wins Friday, Finland’s national under-17 team and Shattuck-St. Mary’s School will meet in the gold medal game at the inaugural World Sport School Challenge on Saturday night at the WinSport Canada Athletic & Ice Complex.

The game can be seen live via webcast at hockeycanada.fasthockey.com beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

Finland knocked off the Edge School for Athletes (Calgary, Alta.) 13-2 in Friday’s late semifinal, while Shattuck-St. Mary’s (Faribault, Minn.) beat Slovakia’s national under-17 team 7-5 in the early game.

The Finns finished on top of the preliminary round with a perfect 3-0 record, including wins over Pursuit of Excellence (8-1), Okanagan Hockey Academy (11-1) and Shattuck-St. Mary’s (4-3), while Shattuck was fourth at 1-2, with a win over Slovakia (9-3) sandwiched around losses to Okanagan Hockey Academy (7-5) and Finland.

In Friday’s first semifinal, Shattuck-St. Mary’s got goals from seven different players to help earn its second win over Slovakia in as many chances. John Draeger, Jake Montgomery, Zach Stepan, Tyler Vesel, Noah Henry, Hunter Fejes and Carter Lukenda all scored the Sabres, who used four unanswered goals in the second period to open up a 7-3 lead through 40 minutes. Fejes finished with a goal and two assists, while Stepan, Vesel and Henry each had a goal and a helper.

In the late game, Jonatan Tanus, Jusso Ikonen and Jimi Kuronen had four points apiece as the Finns routed the Calgary-based Edge School. Kuronen scored all of his goals in a span of 7:38 of the third period to put the finishing touches on a performance that saw Finland score six times on the power play and outshoot the Edge School 53-19. The Finns had 10 players recorded at least two points in the victory.

The Edge School and Slovakia will meet in Saturday’s bronze medal game at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. That game can also be seen live via webcast at hockeycanada.fasthockey.com.

Earlier Friday, Matt Saharchuk scored the game-winning goal with 8:11 to go as Pursuit of Excellence (Kelowna, B.C.) beat Okanagan Hockey Academy (Penticton, B.C.) 4-3 to earn fifth place in an all-British Columbia match-up.

The World Sport School Challenge was developed in line with a commitment made by Hockey Canada’s officers and branches, “to service sport schools and create a positive and flexible infrastructure that meets the needs of this Hockey Canada customer.” This is one of six priorities of focus the organization committed to earlier this year.

Across the country, Hockey Canada currently endorses about 10 sport schools, which have formal partnerships with educational institutions with the aim to enhance learning opportunities for students while also developing their hockey skills.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Please contact Kevin Bathurst, manager of school programs for Hockey Canada, at kbathurst@hockeycanada.ca or (403) 710-2203 for any interview requests.

For more information about the 2011 World Sport School Challenge, follow along via social media at http://www.Twitter.com/WSSChallenge and http://www.Facebook.com/WSSChallenge, and please visit http://www.HockeyCanada.ca/WSSC.

For more information: Kevin Bathurst Manager, School Programs

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."