KIELLY SCORES TWICE AS ATLANTIC BEATS SLOVAKS FOR FIRST VICTORY

VICTORIAVILLE, Que. – Kameron Kielly (Charlottetown, P.E.I./Gatineau, LHJMQ) scored the game-winning goal early in the third period and added insurance four minutes later as Atlantic picked up its first victory of the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, beating Slovakia 4-1 on Monday afternoon.

Despite playing in the same tournament seven times, Monday’s match-up was just the second game ever between the teams; Atlantic also won the other meeting, earning a 6-4 victory in 2004 in St. John’s, N.L.

Josh Pugsley (Amherst, N.S./Amherst, MHL) and Liam Hynes (Ferryland, N.L./The Hill Academy, Can. Prep) had the other goals for Atlantic, which bounced back from losses to Quebec and the United States to open the tournament.

Pugsley finished with a goal and an assist, while Nicholas Quillan (Dartmouth, N.S./The Gunnery, U.S. Prep) and Matthew Highmore (Dartmouth, N.S./Saint John, LHJMQ) had two helpers apiece.

Maros Surovy scored the lone goal for the Slovaks, ending their goalless drought to start the tournament at just shy of 102 minutes.

After Pugsley had opened the scoring 2:21 into the second period, Kielly scored at 1:45 and 5:32 of the third, sandwiched around Surovy’s goal for Slovakia. Hynes rounded out the scoring with eight minutes to go.

Mason McDonald (Halifax, N.S./Acadie-Bathurst, LHJMQ) earned the win in the Atlantic goal, making 22 saves, while his Slovak counterpart, Stanislav Skorvanek, took the loss despite 28 stops.

Atlantic caps off its preliminary round schedule Tuesday afternoon against Ontario in Drummondville (1:30 p.m. ET), while Slovakia is on the ice at the Centre Marcel-Dionne to take on Quebec on Tuesday night (7:30 p.m. ET).