MONCTON, N.B.: Three members of the StFX X-Men hockey team laced up their skates on the U SPORTS All-Star team for a pair of games against Team Canada during the national team’s World Junior selection camp.
The U SPORTS team was led by AUS leading scorer Liam Hawel, who has posted 27 points (12 goals and 15 assists) in 18 games this season with the X-Men. Last season’s rookie of the year recorded 18 goals and 19 assists, during his first year in the white and blue.
Hawel was joined on the U SPORTS second line by Matthew Struthers, who trails him by two points as the league’s top scorer, registering seven goals and 18 assists in 15 games with StFX.
Antigonish native, Jacob Hudson, who sits sixth in league scoring with 22 points (10 goals and 12 assists) in 18 games for his hometown team, drew into the U SPORTS lineup on the fourth line.
During the first game between AUS All-Stars and gold medal hopefuls, at the 7:45 mark of the first period, after a long, dump-in from their own blue line, the puck bounced off the end-boards behind the Canadian net, Hawel picked the puck up off the bounce on his forehand, quickly moved the puck to his backhand and slid it past the Canadian goalie.
Hawel’s goal would put the U SPORTS All-Stars up 2-0.
During the third period, Hudson took a slashing penalty at the 3:58 mark. During the subsequent power play, Team Canada’s Joshua Roy scored.
Canada would go on to win the game 5-2.
In the second tune-up game, the three members of the X-Men were left off the scoresheet.
At the 1:57 mark of the third period, Struthers took a hooking penalty and once again, like Hudson’s penalty the day before, Canada’s Roy scored on the ensuing power play.
Team Canada went on to win 3-2 and now prepare for their pre-tournament match ups against Switzerland, Slovakia, and Finland.
The Town of Antigonish and StFX University is set to host Germany and Austria for their pre-tournament training camp and an exhibition match between the two countries on Dec. 20.
The 2023 World Junior Hockey Championship is set to kick off in Halifax on Boxing Day as Canada will begin its defence of its gold medal against Czechia, in a rematch of the World Juniors semi-final from this past summer.
Canada will take on Germany on Dec. 28 and Austria on Dec. 29.
Closing out the round-robin tournament, they will play Sweden on New Year’s Eve for the first time since the 2016 tournament.
Hockey Canada invited Halifax to bid after the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) pulled the tournament from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. In May, Halifax, in a joint bid with Moncton, won the rights to host the event.