Two More for Woolfenden as U17 Canadians Beat Rockets

Brian Woolfenden scored twice on Sunday, giving him 10 goals on the season, as the U17 AAA Greater Vancouver Canadians defeated the Okanagan Rockets 5-4 at MNP Place to earn a split of their weekend series (Nov. 22-23) in Kelowna. 

With the weekend split, the Canadians improved to 8-12-0 and moved into seventh place in the U17 standings. 

On Saturday, the Canadians fell 5-1 in the series opener. Jake Moran scored for GVC to open the scoring in the first period, but the Rockets scored five unanswered goals over the next two periods, with Linkin Ashton notching four of them. Wilfred Hogan stopped 33 shots, including 17 in the final period. 

On Sunday, Woolfenden’s two goals in the second period led GVC to a 5-4 win, as the Canadians picked up their eighth win of the season. Robert Andrej Filc, Beckett Wong, and Nolan Rizzardo also scored for Greater Vancouver. Joshua Read made 32 saves for the Canadians. 

For Woolfenden, Filc, and Wong, it marked the second straight weekend that they have scored goals. Woolfenden is currently tied for fourth in the U17 scoring race with 24 points. 

The Canadians, as a team, are now in seventh place with 16 points, although the eighth-place Chiefs have five games in hand. It should be noted, too, that five of the teams ahead of GVC also have multiple games in hand.

Next up, the U17 Canadians will take on the third-place U17 Vancouver North West Hawks (9-5-3) in a home-and-home series on Nov. 29-30. Saturday’s game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Canlan Ice Sports North Shore, while Sunday’s contest is set for 8:30 a.m. at the Richmond Olympic Oval.