Angelo Esposito is determined to get another crack at Canada’s World Junior roster.
The Montreal Juniors forward has been a three-time cut from the World Junior Team but is using the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge to show the Team Canada brass that he intends to make the squad and represent his country on the world stage this Christmas in Ottawa.
"I think the (ADT games) are important for me,” said Esposito, who scored the winning goal on a powerplay late in the second period and added an assist to pace the QMJHL stars to a 5-3 win over the Russian Selects in the first game of the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge in Sydney, NS on Monday.
“I’m going to come out here and have fun and just work hard and go from there,” said Esposito, who has seven goals and 15 points in 15 games this season. “There’s an opening there for me and I’m working hard”
Esposito is definitely on the Hockey Canada radar once again this year.
“Angelo’s been a player that has been in our program with the Under-18’s,” said Hockey Canada’s top scout Al Murray. “For three years in a row he wasn’t ready to make the World Junior but we’re evaluating him just like we are all the other players. He won’t be invited unless he has a legitimate chance to make the team and if he is invited to the camp we expect he will really challenge for a spot.”
On Monday, Luke Adam of the Juniors opened the scoring on a powerplay midway through the first period. The Russians tied the game in the opening seconds of the second period on a marker by Nikita Klyukin but Paul Byron of the Gatineau Olympiques restored the lead 18 seconds later.
Nicholas Peterson of the Shawinigan Cataractes also scored in the second period and Alex Grant of the Saint John Sea Dogs iced the win with an empty-net goal with five second left in the game. Kevin Marshall of the Quebec Remparts picked up a pair of assists in the win.
Anatoly Nikontsev scored midway through the second period and Dmitri Kugryshev added a goal in the third period for the Russians.
QMJHL starter Olivier Roy of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles was the first star of the game after stopping 18 of 19 shots that he faced in the first half of the game. Maxime Clermont of the Olympiques finished the game, making 10 saves.
Russian goaltender Sergey Gayduchenko made 16 saves in the loss.
The QMJHL improved to 7-2-0-2 in the six-year history of the event.
The series continues on Wednesday in Saint John, NB before moving to Ontario for Game 3 in Guelph on Thursday and Game 4 in St. Catharines on Monday. The series concludes in the Western Hockey League next week with games in Swift Current and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
The series continues on Wednesday in Saint John, NB before moving to Ontario for Game 3 in Guelph on Thursday and Game 4 in St. Catharines on Monday. The series concludes in the Western Hockey League next week with games in Swift Current and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
Game Summary
