Team CHL takes Game 1 of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge
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Team CHL took Game 1 of the inaugural 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge after a 6-1 win over the U.S. National Under-18 Team at Canada Life Place in London, ON.
Lynden Lakovic (Moose Jaw Warriors / WHL), Cameron Schmidt (Vancouver Giants / WHL), Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds / OHL), Matthew Schaefer (Erie Otters / OHL), Malcolm Spence (Erie Otters / OHL), and Kashawn Aitcheson (Barrie Colts / OHL) scored for Team CHL while Joshua Ravensbergen (Prince George Cougars / WHL) made 15 saves. Jack Murtagh had the lone goal for the U.S. National Under-18 Team while goaltender Patrick Quinlan stopped 23 shots.
Schaefer (1G-1A), Schmidt (1G-1A), Lakovic (1G-1A), and Michael Misa (0G-2A) led Team CHL in scoring with a pair of points on Tuesday night. Defenceman Matthew Schaefer was named the Player of the Game following his strong performance.
"As the game progressed ... it was a pretty dominant performance," Team CHL head coach Kris Mallette (Kelowna Rockets / WHL) said. "As a whole, Ravensbergen was sharp when we needed him and [we] scored some goals that were quite big."
Lakovic made some history with the first goal in the series as he scored on a breakaway at 5:44 of the first as he received a beautiful stretch pass from Ben Kindel (Calgary Hitmen / WHL) before he beat Patrick Quinlan's blocker side.
Schmidt needed just 38 seconds into the second frame to double Team CHL's lead as he scored from the right faceoff circle before Martin made it 3-0 at 3:57 as he took advantage of a fortunate bounce off the boards as the puck found the Greyhounds forward with an empty-net in front of him after Quinlan had left his crease to play the puck.
It was 4-0 at 5:31 as Schaefer went coast-to-coast before he drove the net and pushed the puck past Quinlan.
"I picked the puck up behind the net, saw there was room to skate so I turned on the jets and drove the net and it went in," Schaefer told TSN at the intermission.
Spence had Team CHL's fifth goal of the night at 6:47 of the third frame as he buried a rebound after Michael Misa (Saginaw Spirit / OHL) had been denied by Quinlan. Aitcheson later tallied the team's sixth at 14:09 after his long point shot was deemed a goal after review.
Murtagh got the visitors on the board with 2:14 remaining in regulation.
"The guys did great in front of me and gave me a lot of time to think," Ravensbergen said. "We did a great job and I'm really looking forward to doing it again tomorrow."
The second and final game of the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge heads to the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa tonight at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. The game can be seen LIVE on TSN 1/5, TSN.ca and the TSN App.