It was a worthwhile experience at the U17 World Hockey Challenge for Daxon Rudolph, Riley Boychuk and Ryan McDonald.
The trio were all part of Canada White who took home the gold medal with a 3-1 win over Canada Red in Sarnia, Ontario last Saturday.
Canada White went 1-0-1 in preliminary play and punched their ticket to the final with wins over Finland in the quarterfinal and Sweden in the semi-final.
Raider defenceman Daxon Rudolph says the feeling of the final going off was hard to describe.
“It was an amazing experience for sure. It is a surreal feeling winning that gold medal when the clock hits zero. No one can believe it. We had a whistle with 10 seconds left and we kind of knew it was coming. When it hits zero, it’s a whole other level. It’s a different feeling for sure. Celebrating with the guys after that win was awesome and there’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
It was the first time that the two Canadian teams had met in the final since Canada started sending national teams to the tournament in 2014.
Team Ontario defeated Team Pacific for the gold medal back in 2009.
Rudolph says he was glad that White was able to come ahead in the final.
“It was a little different for sure. Never really played the same logo on the other chest. It’s never really happened before to me. It was a good experience, a really cool moment for Hockey Canada. I think that was their goal to have both of the teams in the final. Ultimately, one’s got to win, one’s got to lose. I’m happy we came out on top and got the gold medal.”
The U17 World Hockey Challenge is the first time players get a chance to represent Canada on the international stage.
With the unfamiliarity of competing on the international stage, Rudolph says he was pleased to have a pair of familiar faces with him for the tournament.
“It’s super nice, just to have a little bit of familiarity to get comfortable at the start. To share that moment with them is something I’ll never forget. Riley has definitely become someone I’ll call my brother. Over the past couple of years, our friendship has grown tremendously. With Ryan being there too, I think sharing that with him was a good moment for not only us, but the Raider organization which I think is good.”
Boychuk ready to get back to work with Raiders
With both Canadian rosters being national teams at the U17 World Hockey Challenge, it provides a unique experience for players to gel with other top talent that are their own age.
Boychuk says he enjoyed the opportunity to connect with his teammates throughout the tournament.
“You meet a lot of new people. You meet new coaches from all over Canada. It was cool, so they got really close. I knew basically all the Western League guys, I got to get really close with them. The Quebec guys were awesome. The Ontario guys, I connected with basically all of them.It was pretty sweet to get to do it with them.”
Boychuk says his best memory from the tournament was the atmosphere during the gold medal game because both teams were from Canada.
“It was really cool and I know a lot of guys on the other team and to get the win and just play against them in that big stage like that, it was very cool and very special. The crowd was amazing, it was packed. It was basically sold out, it was special and it hasn’t happened when Canada has only sent two teams there.”
Boychuk is still looking for his first goal in the WHL as he had registered four assists in 12 games with the Raiders prior to leaving for the tournament.
The 16-year-old former second overall pick says he is excited to get back in the Raider lineup.
“I think it was awesome being there and being able to get to play with a lot of good players there. I think I’m coming back with a lot of confidence, especially winning, and we all had really good tournaments there, and it was obviously a lot of fun. I’m taking a lot of confidence in it. For me, knowing that I was there, and now it’s really back to the Raiders, and I’m mostly just so excited to be back and get with the team again, and we continue the winning we’ve been doing.”
Second career medal at U17s for McDonald
Ryan McDonald is no stranger to success at the World U17 Hockey Challenge. The Raider assistant coach won a gold medal as a player at the tournament back in 2004 and was able to win his second career gold medal at the event as a coach.
McDonald says it was incredibly special to be able to have success at the tournament in two different roles.
“It was an unforgettable couple of weeks there, and just the growth within our group. In that gold medal game and watching the clock tick down from 10 all the way to 1 was just such a special moment. Ultimately win it once as a player and go back and have the opportunity to win it as a coach, which is something that I’ll never forget.”
It was a very excited crowd at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena in Sarnia, Ontario for the gold medal game. McDonald says it turned into a great game that will be remembered by the players on both teams and the audience that was in attendance.
“Stakes were high. It was an intense game. We joked around a little bit before the game as a staff thinking, they’re going to cheer for everything. They’re going to cheer for every hit, every goal, every penalty. It was a fantastic game to play in and to play your other Canadian counterparts. It was truly a great game.”
Of all the highlights from the tournament, McDonald says one thing that stood out to him was how Boychuk and Rudolph handled themselves and represented the Raider organization.
“Being able to go with two familiar faces and just watching Dax and Riley and their professionals and how they conduct themselves. I couldn’t be more proud of how they play on the ice, but also off the ice, and their day-to-day, their routines, and just being able to be in the moment with them and how excited they were after the game. I think Chuckie (Riley Boychuk) almost knocked me off my feet, giving me a hug when that final buzzer went, and just seeing how excited Dax was and how hard they worked in the 14 days. It was a grind, and just being able to go through with them was something truly special.”
The Raiders return to action on Friday night when they host the Tri-City Americans. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
