YARMOUTH, N.S. – For the fourth time in the tournament’s seven-year history, the United States has won the gold medal at the World Junior A Challenge, defeating Canada West 6-3 in Sunday’s gold medal game at the Mariners Centre in Yarmouth.

The win is the third for the United States over Canada West in the gold medal game – it defeated the Canadians 7-1 in the final at the 2008 World Junior A Challenge in Camrose, Alta., and repeated as gold medallist by a 2-1 score one year later in Summerside, P.E.I.

Vince Hinostroza scored twice and added two assists to finish as the tournament’s co-leading scorer; he ended with eight points (six goals, two assists) in four games, becoming the second American to lead the World Junior A Challenge in scoring, joining Sean Kuraly, who topped the list in 2011.

J.T. Stenglein added two goals, Austin Cangelosi and Alex Kile also scored and Ian Brady chipped in with three assists, which gave him eight for the tournament, a new World Junior A Challenge record.

Seb Lloyd (Prince George, B.C./West Kelowna, BCHL), Evan Richardson (Nanaimo, B.C./Powell River, BCHL) and Brandon Morley (Burnaby, B.C./Coquitlam, BCHL) had the goals for Canada West, which scored three times in a span of 8:32 in the second period to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead, but didn’t score again.

Also on Saturday, West took home the President’s Cup as champions of the CJHL Prospects Games, getting a goal from Austin Plevy (Langley, B.C./Chilliwack, BCHL) with 2:42 remaining to help it to an 8-6 aggregate win, despite a 6-3 loss to East in the second game of the total-goal series.

Following Sunday’s gold medal game, the World Junior A Challenge MVP award and tournament all-star team were announced:

• World Junior A Challenge MVP:
• Vince Hinostroza (United States)

• Tournament All-Star Team:
• Goaltender: Jonah Imoo (Canada West)
• Defence: Ian Brady (United States)
• Defence: Troy Stecher (Canada West)
• Forward: Vince Hinostroza (United States)
• Forward: Wade Murphy (Canada West)
• Forward: Sandro Zangger (Switzerland)

Canadian players and staff will be returning to their respective club teams on Monday, November 12.

For more informtion on the 2012 World Junior A Challenge, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/wjac or follow along via social media at www.facebook.com/wjrac or www.twitter.com/hc_wjac.