WHL uses last-minute comeback to gain stranglehold in Canada-Russia Series

Team WHL used all the time available to fend off Team Russia in the fifth game of the CIBC Canada-Russia Series on Wednesday at SaskTel Centre.

Down 1-0 to a pesky Russian squad with 22 seconds remaining, Colorado Avalanche prospect Bowen Byram skated circles around the Russians before firing a shot past a previously unbreakable Amir Miftakhov to tie the game.

Byram then dropped a pass for Lethbridge Hurricanes defenceman Calen Addison, who wired a shot past Miftakhov for the 2-1 overtime win.

“That’s a massive goal by (Byram) at the end of the game, and massive by all those guys on the ice to stick with it, and be patient and composed. It’s just a huge ending for us, and I’m happy to make it happen,” Addison said following the win.

Starting the play was Saskatoon Blades goaltender Nolan Maier, who got an assist on the goal after stopping a Russian breakaway, before leaving his net empty to cut off a Russian pass at the boards and send Byram down the ice.

With Blades captain Chase Wouters on the roster, Maier wasn’t expecting to be the leading Blades scorer in this one.

“I don’t know what was really going on in my head, but I knew we didn’t really have anyone behind the net, so I just tried to use my body to get in front of him and it worked out,” Maier said of his risky play.

Seeing Addison get mobbed by his teammates at centre ice was enough to make Maier soak in the experience of representing the Western Hockey League in the all-star format game.

“That was the kind of point where I was like,’OK, that was awesome,’” Maier said. “That was really special.”

After Team Russia’s Maxin Sorkin scored on a dizzying power play 5:41 into the game, the action settled down with minimal scoring chances throughout the game as both teams tried to feel one another out.

“I thought our group was a little nervous to start the hockey game. We got some saves from our goaltender to keep the score the way it was going into that third period and then we just loosened up,” Team WHL head coach Mitch Love said on an off-day from his duties as coach of the Blades.

The Russians found ways to get in shot lanes and keep players away from the net, but now that the first game is over, Byram thinks the third period will be more of the WHL’s style of play for the series finale on Thursday in Prince Albert.

“It’s tough to play with 19 new guys. It’s not easy. I think that now we have some chemistry going together, we know where each other is going to be on the ice that we should have a good game going into tomorrow,” he said.

Team Russia previously played the OHL and QMJHL with split results before landing in Saskatoon, making Thursday’s finale in Prince Albert a series-clinching scenario if Team WHL escapes with a win.

Byram is happy to be on the home side in Prince Albert after taking the Vancouver Giants to a seventh game against the Raiders in last season’s WHL final.

“There’s always a lot of energy. It’s really fast ice. It’s really fun to play in and it will be nice to have the crowd on our side this time,” Byram said. “Obviously, we don’t like the Russians very much. To get the series win would be huge.”