Team Atlantic may have had the hometown fans on their side but they had their hands full with Team Ontario this evening.

 

In their first game of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge at Centre 200 in Sydney, Team Atlantic (0-1) fell 5-1 to a strong Ontario (2-0) squad.

 

Graham Knott led the way for Ontario with a pair of goals. Dylan Strome, the brother of New York Islanders forward Ryan Strome, had a goal and an assist for Ontario.

 

Down 4-0 with six minutes to go in the third period, Nicholas Welsh (Halifax/Shawinigan, QMJHL) found the back of the net for Team Atlantic’s first goal of the tournament. Colby Tower (Troy, NS/Valley, MHL) and Nathan Noel (St. John’s, NL/Saint John, QMJHL) picked up the assists on Welsh’s marker.

 

Blade Mann-Dixon (Antigonish, NS/Valley, MHL) stopped 27 of the 32 shots fired his way in the Team Atlantic net. Tower was named Player of the Game for Team Atlantic.

 

Team Atlantic is back in action tomorrow evening at 7 P.M. when they face Team USA (2-0) at Centre 200. The Americans are coming off a 14-1 win over Germany this afternoon at the Emera Centre Northside in North Sydney. On Sunday, the US topped Russia 5-1 at the Civic Centre in Port Hawkesbury.

 

For more information on the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, please visit Hockey Canada’s official tournament website: http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/National-Championships/Men/World-U17/2014.

 

 

Media Contact:

 

Brad Taylor

Director of Operations, Team Atlantic

 

[email protected]

 

 

Garreth MacDonald

 

Communications and Special Events Director

 

Hockey Nova Scotia

 

7 Mellor Avenue Unit 17

 

Dartmouth, NS B3B 0E8

 

@HockeyNS

 

902.454.9400 ext. 223 (p)

 

902.454.3883 (f)