KODIAKS TO PLAY FOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER WIN OVER CRUSHERS

For the fourth time in eight years, the Camrose Kodiaks will play for Canada’s National Junior A Championship.

Allen York – named the tournament’s top goaltender for the second straight year at Friday night’s awards banquet – made 17 saves for his first shutout, lowering his goals against average to a miniscule 0.75 as the Kodiaks topped the Pictou County Weeks Crushers 3-0 in Saturday’s first semi-final at the 2008 RBC Cup.

Andrew MacWilliam and Jesse Todd scored 1:36 apart midway through the first period and Dean Petiot added some insurance in the third as the Kodiaks ran their record to a perfect 5-0.

The shutout also means the Kodiaks have allowed just four goals in five games, within sight of the all-time RBC Cup record for fewest goals allowed in a single tournament – seven, set by the South Surrey Eagles during their 1997 championship run.

Camrose will play the winner of Saturday night’s semi-final between the Humboldt Broncos and the host Cornwall Colts in Sunday’s championship game (1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT, LIVE on TSN).

The Crushers had the best chance of the opening minutes, as Shawn O’Donnell was awarded a penalty shot less than two minutes after the opening face-off.

Pulling the puck to his backhand, O’Donnell beat York but could not beat the post – a sign of what was to come for the East Region champions.

MacWilliam opened the scoring for the Kodiaks at the 8:07 mark, blasting a shot from the point past Pictou County netminder Alexandre Quessy, and Todd made it 2-0 moments later on a Camrose powerplay, taking a cross-ice pass from Joe Colborne and beating Quessy just underneath the crossbar.

After an uneventful second period – there were no goals and no penalties in the middle frame – Petiot rounded out the scoring just past the ten-minute mark of the final period with another powerplay goal, his point shot deflecting off the leg of a Pictou County defender and past Quessy.

Both goaltenders, York and Quessy, were rewarded for their strong games with player of the game awards for their respective teams.

The Kodiaks will enter Sunday’s championship game looking for their second national championship – they were crowned national champions in 2001, in the first trip to the tournament.

LISTEN! – PAC head coach Boris Rybalka’s thoughts on the game
LISTEN! – EST head coach Troy Ryan’s thoughts on the game