By Scott Fisher /

The World Junior A Challenge came off without a hitch — except for that ugly 7-1 loss to the U.S. in the gold-medal game.

MJHL commissioner Kim Davis, who recently signed a three-year contract extension with the Junior loop, was in Camrose for the entire event. And he said the week-long tournament couldn’t have gone smoother.

“It was an excellent event in all facets,” Davis said. “From the way teams and players were treated, to accomodations, it was excellent.

“I can’t think of a single thing that didn’t meet our expectations.”

Seven different Americans lit the lamp in an overwhelming gold-medal victory, ending Canada West’s two-year reign as champions (2006 in Yorkton, Sask., and 2007 in Trail, B.C.) of the the World Junior A Challenge.

Rylan Schwartz, the host country’s lone player named to the tournament all-star team, scored Canada’s lone goal in the finale.

Winnipeg Saints forward Tim Hayduk carried the Manitoba Junior Hockey League flag at the event after Saints teammate, defenceman Scott Macaulay, was forced to stay home due to an injury.

The 6-0, 165-pounder had an assist in the tourney and caught Davis’ eye.

“You’re looking for contributions from all the players,” Davis said. “He’s a tremendous skater and an aggressive player.

“They had him in a checking role, but he also chipped in offensively, so I think he did a solid job.”

Davis was looking forward to an increased role for MJHL players, but a flurry of early-season moves altered those plans.

“We’re required to have one player from each league on the roster, but we were focused on putting together the best possible team,” Davis said. “Earlier in the season, we could have had four or five players on the team. But we had three players leave to other leagues — two of them to the U.S., where they’re leading their leagues in scoring.

“That’s the way it goes sometimes. But we [were] in the gold-medal game again, so I think we’ve done a good job of evaluating players.”

PRAIRIE EDITION KEEPS ROLLING
We’re proud to present the second issue of Hockey Now’s Prairie Edition to our readers across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. We’ve got news on all the local WHL and Junior A action, plus an AHL report, minor hockey news, instructional columns, and much more.

Canadian national team captain Hayley Wickenheiser shares her feature column and looks ahead to the 2010 games. Meanwhile, Stanley Cup winner and NHL coach Ryan Walter offers up a special drill for your practices.

Enjoy the paper and we’ll see you again with our next issue on Dec. 13.