OTTAWA, Ont. – Team Canada Red and Team Canada Black punched their tickets to the 2021 Capital City Challenge final after semifinal wins on Tuesday night, while Team Canada White will take on Canada's National Women’s Team in the third-place game tomorrow afternoon.

TEAM CANADA RED 6, TEAM CANADA WHITE 2
Brayden Yager (Saskatoon, Sask./Moose Jaw, WHL) and Bradley Nadeau (Saint-François, N.B./Penticton, BCHL) lead the offence for Canada Red, with Yager scoring a shorthanded goal and adding an assist as well as Nadeau chipping in with a pair of helpers. Kalan Lind (Shaunavon, Sask./Red Deer, WHL) scored both goals for Canada White, and Andrew Cristall (Vancouver, B.C./Kelowna, WHL) contributed two helpers.

“From day one, we have been talking about staying connected as a team. I thought we were great on the forecheck tonight and we were responsible in the defensive zone, which helped us a lot. We played well as five-man units, got some good bounces and scored a few good goals, and we competed hard right to the end of the game.”
- Canada Red forward Riley Heidt (Saskatoon, Sask./Prince George, WHL) on the team’s performance

“I thought I competed hard, and I thought my linemates made a lot of good plays. All over the ice, we had some good chemistry, and obviously Andrew [Cristall] made some great passes to me that I was able to bury in the net. I wanted to keep competing, throw my body around and do everything I could to help the team. I blocked some shots in the third period and wanted to help us even up the game, but unfortunately we did not get the result we wanted.”
- Lind on his performance

TEAM CANADA BLACK 4, NATIONAL WOMEN’S TEAM 3 (OT)
Zach Benson (Chilliwack, B.C./Winnipeg, WHL) scored 11 seconds into three-on-three overtime to lift Canada Black to a 4-3 win over Canada's National Women’s Team, securing a spot in the final. The National Women’s Team scored three goals in less than four minutes in the second period to erase a three-goal deficit, but it could not complete the comeback and will play in the third-place game.

“It was three-on-three hockey and there was a lot of open ice. It was a big face-off win by [Calum] Ritchie, and then Tanner [Molendyk] made a great pass to Ritchie. He made a great saucer pass to me, and I was able to find the back of the net on a great play all around.”
- Benson on his overtime winner

“We were not happy with our first 10 minutes of the game. We were chasing from that point on, but ever since the world championship in August, there has been so much belief amongst our group, even when we get behind a couple goals. We know if we stick to our game plan, play our way and focus on the things that make us successful, we can fight back. I think we proved that again today. We have done it in the past and it shows a lot of resiliency, and that we are able to stick to our plan and not get off course when things are not going our way.”
- National Women’s Team defenceman Renata Fast (Burlington, Ont./PWHPA) on coming back from a three-goal deficit

NEXT GAMES (DEC. 1)
National Women’s Team vs. Team Canada White (2:30 p.m. ET) - STATISTICS | LIVESTREAM
Team Canada Red vs. Team Canada Black (7 p.m. ET) - STATISTICS | LIVESTREAM

LEADING SCORERS
Zach Benson (Black) - 6G 5A 11P
Calum Ritchie (Black) - 4G 3A 7P
Ethan Gauthier (White) - 1G 6A 7P
Matthew Wood (Red) - 3G 3A 6P
Mathieu Cataford (White) - 2G 3A 5P

LEADING GOALTENDERS
Jackson Unger (Red) - 3-0 / 1.33 GAA / .952 SV%
Ann-Renée Desbiens (NWT) - 0-2 / 4.00 GAA / .925 SV%
Joseph Costanzo (Black) - 2-0 / 2.00 GAA / .886 SV%
Scott Ratzlaff (White) - 0-2 / 4.03 GAA / .879 SV%
Mason Vaccari (Black) - 2-0 / 3.50 GAA / .873 SV%

For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2021 Capital City Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #OurGameIsBack.