JONES TWINS, KUNYK LEAD CANADA WEST TO ROUT OF CANADA EAST

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. – It’s déjà vu at the World Junior A Challenge.

For the second year in a row, Canada West will meet the United States in the gold medal game after Canada West hammered Canada East 9-1 in Friday’s late semifinal at Molson Canadian Arena at CUP.

The U.S. qualified for the final (Sunday, 5 p.m. AT, TSN2) earlier Friday with a 6-3 win over Russia.

Canada West scored five unanswered goals in the second period to pull away from the easterners, four of them coming from the line of twins Connor and Kellen Jones, along with Cody Kunyk.

Kunyk finished with a hat trick and added an assist, Connor Jones tied a WJAC record with five points (2g, 3a) and Kellen Jones pitched in with a goal and an assist. Wes McLeod also had a big night, racking up four assists to tie a tournament record of his own.

It was Canada East that came out roaring, firing the game’s first five shots at Canada West netminder Sean Bonar. But two penalties on the same play killed the East momentum and West captain Mathew Bodie took over, scoring on the two-man advantage to open the scoring.

Jeff Vanderlugt equalized for the East late in the period, snapping a shot past the blocker of Bonar, but West would take the lead for good just 46 seconds later thanks to hard work along the boards by McLeod, who set up Kunyk for his first of the night.

The late goal seemed to deflate Canada East, which found itself down 5-1 less than five minutes into the second period.

First it was Cam Reid sweeping a loose puck through the legs of goaltender Matt Ginn, followed shortly thereafter by goals from Kunyk and Connor Jones. Kunyk’s goal spelled the end of the night for Ginn, who allowed four goals on 17 shots.

The western onslaught continued late in the middle frame as Kunyk raced around a Canada East defender, outwaited netminder Jordan Ruby and roofed his hat trick marker, becoming the second Canada West player in as many nights to record a three-goal game – Reid did it against Belarus on Thursday.

Connor Jones added his second of the night on another two-man advantage with three seconds to go in the period, sending Canada West to the intermission up 7-1.

With the game never in doubt in the third period Canada West got goals from Kellen Jones and Daniel Carr to help it tie the record for largest margin of victory in a WJAC game – Canada East beat Belarus 9-1 in last year’s bronze medal game, while Canada West hammered the Belarussians 10-2 in 2006.
The loss moves Canada East into the bronze medal game for the second year in a row. It will face Russia on Sunday (1 p.m. AT).