Irish players lead in World Junior Championships
By MATT OLIVA
Sports Writer
The U.S. National Junior Hockey team reached the semi-finals of the World Junior Championship with the help of three Irish players. Sophomore centers Brett Henning and David Inman, along with freshman center Connor Dunlop, all traveled to Sweden for the three-week tournament from Dec. 26 to Jan. 4.
The three selections from the Irish roster marked the fourth straight year that a player from Notre Dame has made the 22-man roster, while it also was the most number of players from any one single team. Boston College leads the way with nine selections to the National Junior Team during the past four years, followed by Notre Dame with 7.
The U.S. team finished 1-2-2 in the Championships, including ties with eventual finalist the Czech Republic (2-2) and Canada (1-1). The lone U.S. victory came against host Sweden with a final score of 5-1. Connor Dunlop figured in the scoring in the victory with one goal and one assist. His goal came unassisted to give the U.S. a 3-1 lead, while his assist came on the first goal scored.
"It was a great hockey experience-the best that I have ever had," Dunlop said. "To be on a world stage against the best players under twenty from around the world is great. Representing the country is something that I was really glad to do."
The Czechs eliminated the U.S. team in the semi-finals, before Canada was able to beat them in an overtime shoot-out in the Bronze medal game. The Czechs went on to become the eventual champions by defeating Russia in a shoot-out.
"The competition helped a lot," said Dunlop. "The speed of the game is a lot different from the college level and we played on Olympic sheets, which really pushed our skills."
The Irish players put up impressive statistics throughout the Championship, with Dunlop leading all U.S. centers in face-off percentage. He won 69 of 108 (64 percent) as the second line center. Henning also played as a center for the Americans, winning 14 of 37 face-offs. Inman was used as a wing on several different lines for the U.S. in the tournament.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, January 20, 2000
