WHL 1 RUSSIA 0 (SO)
Laurent Brossoit stopped 30 shots and the first three shooters in the shootout to lead the Western Hockey League all-stars to a 1-0 win over Team Russia on Wednesday in the fifth game of the Subway Super Series.
Brossoit stopped each of the Russian shooters in the shootout, including Nail Yakupov, last summer's first-overall draft choice by the Edmonton Oilers.
Brossoit, a Calgary Flames draft choice and current Edmonton Oil King, was born in Port Alberni and raised in Surrey, just down the road from the Pacific Coliseum.
Hunter Shinkaruk, Mark McNeill and Sam Reinhart scored in the shootout.
Saskatoon Blades net-minder Andrei Makarov made 35 saves for Russia.
Russia split the first four games of the Super Series, winning 6-2 and losing 5-2 to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and then swapping 2-1 victories with the Ontario Hockey League.
The final game of the series is tonight in Victoria.
Brossoit came up big in the second period when Evgeni Mozer got a breakaway before stymying him with a pad save.
The Team WHL's best second-period chance came with about six minutes to go in the period when Reinhart intercepted a clearing attempt by the goaltender and quickly shot the puck from the side boards but Makarov got a piece of it to keep the game scoreless.
The first opportunity to break the scoreless tie in the third came from Shinkaruk, the benefactor of a neutral zone turnover. However the Medicine Hat Tiger was robbed by Makarov's flashy glove save with 13 minutes to go in the third.
Then the WHL squad got another odd-man rush off a turnover with 10 minutes to go. Mitch Holmberg was able to slide the puck over to Brady Brassart but he was unable to slip it through the legs of the Russian goalie.
With 4: 18 remaining in regulation the 11,124 fans at the Pacific Coliseum thought their home side had finally scored by the referee immediately called it off, saying it was redirected by a high-stick.
