With the start of the 2015 World Junior A Challenge just two days away, five of the six competing teams were on the ice Friday night in southeastern Ontario to get their first, and only, taste of pre-tournament action.

Canadian teams split their exhibition games – Canada West topped Russia, while Canada East dropped a decision to the United States – and a team of OJHL All-Stars edged the Czech Republic in a shootout thriller.

Canada West 6 – Russia 1 (at Trenton, Ont.)

The Canadians were in control from the get-go, outshooting the Russians 15-8 in the first period and taking a 3-0 lead to the dressing room on goals by Tyson Jost (Kelowna, B.C./Penticton, BCHL), Brinson Pasichnuk (Bonnyville, Alta./Bonnyville, AJHL) and Tyler Maltby (Sherwood Park, Alta./Sherwood Park, AJHL).

Justin Fregona (Mississauga, Ont./Langley, BCHL) had the lone goal of the second period before Liam Finlay (Kelowna, B.C./Vernon, BCHL) and Bobby McMann (Wainwright, Alta./Bonnyville, AJHL) capped the Canadian scoring in the third; Mikhail Maltsev ruined West’s shutout bid with five minutes left, but it was merely consolation by that point.

Jost, Finlay, McMann and Fregona each had a goal and an assist in the win.

Matthew Murray (St. Albert, Alta./Spruce Grove, AJHL) (12-of-12) and Bo Didur (West Vancouver, B.C./Langley, BCHL) (11-of-12) split the goaltending duties for Canada West, while Vladislav Sukhachev gave up three goals on 15 shots in the first period in the Russian goal before giving way to Mikhail Berdin, who stopped 26 of 29 the rest of the way.

United States 8 – Canada East 2 (at Wellington, Ont.)

The easterners struck quickly when Édouard Michaud (Sherbrooke, Que./Granby, LHJQ) beat U.S. netminder Kris Oldham just 87 seconds in, but it would be all U.S. after that; Max Zimmer and Grant Jozefek scored before the end of the first period, and both added a second goal to make it 4-1 in favour of the Americans after 40 minutes.

The three-time defending gold medallists pulled away in the third, scoring four more – two by Liam Pecararo and one each from John Marino and Jake Wahlin – before Lucas Batt (Lewisporte, N.L./Carleton Place, CCHL) converted on a Canadian power play with just 36 seconds left to finish the scoring.

The U.S. got points from 13 different players; Tanner Laczynski and Chase Pearson added two assists apiece to join Zimmer, Jozefek and Pecararo as multiple-point-getters.

Oldham and Ryan Bednard shared the net for the Americans, allowing one goal each, while Colton Point (North Bay, Ont./Carleton Place, CCHL) gave up four goals on 23 shots for Canada East before being replaced to start the third period by Nicholas Latinovich (Maple, Ont./Orangeville, OJHL), who allowed four on 12 U.S. shots.

OJHL All-Stars 4 – Czech Republic 3 (SO) (at Wellington, Ont.)

Despite a whopping 33-15 advantage in shots on goal through two periods – including 20-6 in the first – the Ontario Junior Hockey League representatives found themselves down 2-0 to the Czechs after 40 minutes thanks to Matyas Kantner and Daniel Kurovsky.

The OJHL pulled even with quick goals from Kevin Lavoie (St. Catharines, Ont./Trenton, OJHL) and Ted Hunt (Toronto, Ont./North York, OJHL) in the first 4:26 of the third, and Kurovsky and Danny Hanlon (Waterloo, Ont./Trenton, OJHL) traded goals 1:18 apart late in the final frame to force overtime, and eventually a shootout.

After Mitch Emerson (Pickering, Ont./Trenton, OJHL) and Marek Zachar traded goals in Round 2, the teams combined for 11 consecutive unsuccessful shots before Dylan Mascarin (Thunder Bay, Ont./Wellington, OJHL) won it for the OJHL in Round 8.

Daniel Urbani (Coquitlam, B.C./Trenton, OJHL) was beaten once on 11 shots before ceding the Canada East net to Andrew Masters (Kitchener, Ont./Georgetown, OJHL), who went 18-for-20. At the other end, Josef Korenar starred for the Czechs, stopping all 29 shots he faced in 30 minutes before Dominik Groh gave up three goals on 11 shots, plus two more in the shootout.