GRANADA, Spain (CIS) – Team captain Kruise Reddick of Manor, Sask., scored a hat-trick and goaltender Ryan Holfeld of Leroy, Sask., stopped all 20 shots he faced as Canada advanced to the semifinals of the men’s hockey tournament with a 4-0 win over the United States on Wednesday night at the 27th Winter Universiade.
 
Reddick, a forward from the University of Alberta, scored his third, fourth and fifth goals of the biennial competition to pace the Canucks, while University of Lethbridge forward Mitch Maxwell (Magrath, Alta.) notched his first of the Games.
 
Holfeld, an all-star from the University of Saskatchewan, earned the shutout victory at the Granada Sports Palace in front of a packed house of 4,400 fans, while Reddick’s U of A teammate Levko Koper of Edmonton assisted on all three of his tallies.
 
The win sets up a dream semifinal between archrivals Canada (4-0) and Russia (3-1), Friday at 11 a.m. EST (5 p.m. local time), live on www.fisu.tv. It will be a rematch of last Saturday’s Pool B finale, won 5-3 by the Red and White, and of a 2013 semifinal, when the Canadians prevailed 2-1 en route to capturing their fourth Universiade title. The two powerhouses have combined to win the last six FISU tourneys, with Canada winning two years ago and in 2007.
 
Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic will face off in the other semifinal Friday at 2:30 p.m. EST.
 
“It was a long time in between games, so we were getting a little anxious to play,” noted Reddick, whose five goals are a team high and are tied for second in the tournament. “I didn't think we came out the best, but overall the finish was what we wanted. I didn't have my best game, I can be better. I was lucky to get the hat-trick, but the win is more important.”
 
“It was an efficient win,” added Canadian and University of Saskatchewan head coach Dave Adolph. “We gave up a couple chances, Holfeld shuts the door, and then we managed the game. Our captain did a real good job with three clutch goals, and then we have some guys that keep the game pretty simple in DePape and Maxwell, those guys were pretty good tonight.”
 
With three days in between that preliminary win over Russia and Wednesday’s quarterfinal against the Americans, the Canucks got off to a sluggish start, but Reddick opened the scoring when he took a pass from behind the net from Koper and buried a low wrist shot above Matt Cooper’s pad and below his glove at 17:30.
 
Just over one minute later, Maxwell doubled Canada’s advantage when he walked out from the corner to Cooper’s left, weaved through the traffic and beat the American goalie with a deke before the sliding the puck between his leg and the post.
 
“It was a good shift by the line,” said Maxwell. “Pearce gets in deep and works hard, DePape goes to the net and opens up the lane for me and I just tried to find a little spot and sneak it through. I just enjoy playing with the guys and do everything I can to help contribute to the win.”
 
After a scoreless second period, Reddick buried his second of the game at 13:38 of the third, this time with a power-play backhand from the slot, and then banked the hat-trick goal with 22 seconds remaining, finishing off a 2-on-1 with Koper.
 
The win represents Canada’s sixth victory over the U.S. in as many games in Universiade competition, as well as the second shutout.
 
“Playing in CIS all year you get used to having sometime between starts, so we're pretty comfortable with it,” said Holfeld, who has allowed only one goal in 150:46 since the start of the competition for a goals against average of 0.40 and a save percentage of .972. “We've been practising every day, and staying on the ice is the most important thing. Our guys did an unbelievable job, I don't know what the shots were but it couldn't have been more than 15 or 20. Anytime that happens it makes it a lot easier on a goalie.”
 
Cooper was stellar in net in a losing effort, finishing with 38 saves, including 19 in the third frame.
 
NOTES: In 14 previous appearances at the FISU tourney, Canada has reached the podium 13 times, including four gold medals, three silver and six bronze... Its four triumphs came in 2013 and 2007, when represented by AUS standouts, in 1991 (senior national team) and 1981 (Alberta Golden Bears).
 
Team Canada website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/universiade/winter/2015/index 
Granada 2015 website: http://www.granada2015.org/en/ 
                                                                                                                                   
TEAM CANADA SCHEDULE & RESULTS (all times local / 6 hours ahead of EST)
 
Tuesday, Feb. 3 (17:00): Canada 11 South Korea 1
Thursday, Feb. 5 (17:00): Canada 7 Sweden 0
Saturday, Feb. 7 (17:00): Canada 5 Russia 3
Wednesday, Feb. 11 (20:30): Canada 4, USA 0 (quarter-final)
Friday, Feb. 13 (17:00): Canada vs. Russia (semifinal / www.fisu.tv)
Saturday, Feb. 14 (12:00): Bronze (www.fisu.tv)
Saturday, Feb. 14 (16:00): Final (www.fisu.tv)
 
SCORING SUMMARY
 
Official boxscore
 
Canada 4, USA 0
 
FIRST PERIOD
 
SCORING:
 
1. CAN Kruise Reddick (3) (Levko Koper), 17:30
2. CAN Mitch Maxwell (1) (Jordan DePape), 18:44
 
PENALTIES:
 
Connor Schmidt (USA), checking to the head, 5:07;
Connor Schmidt (USA), 10 min misconduct, 5:07;
Elgin Pearce (CAN), slashing, 9:58.
 
SECOND PERIOD
 
SCORING:
 
(no scoring)
 
PENALTIES:
 
Bryce Johnson (USA), tripping, 2:36;
Joey Breslin (USA), interference, 5:16;
Cody Fowlie (CAN), high sticking, 8:47;
John-Paul Kascsak (USA), roughing, 15:24;
Kodie Curran (CAN), delay of game, 18:48.
 
THIRD PERIOD
 
SCORING:
 
3. CAN Kruise Reddick (4) (Kodie Curran, Levko Koper), 13:58 PP
4. CAN Kruise Reddick (5) (Levko Koper, Jordan DePape), 19:38
 
PENALTIES:
 
Jordan Rowley (CAN), cross-checking, 2:15;
Samuel Brewster (USA), tripping, 2:40;
Chris Joseph (USA), holding, 3:40;
Tyler Benson (USA), slashing, 8:35;
Bobby Bodette (USA), roughing, 11:42
Cody Cartier (CAN), roughing, 11:42.
 
GOALS (by period)
CAN: 2-0-2: 4
USA: 0-0-0: 0
 
SHOTS ON GOAL (by period)
CAN: 11-10-21: 42
USA: 7-5-8: 20
 
POWER PLAY:
CAN: 1-7
USA: 0-3
 
GOALTENDERS
CAN – Ryan Holfeld (W, 2-0, 20 shots, 20 saves, 0 GA, 60:00)
USA – Matt Cooper (L, 1-2, 42 shots, 38 saves, 4 GA, 60:00)
 
REFEREES: Andris Ansons (LAT), Iurii Oskirko (RUS)
 
LINESMEN: Timo Heinonen (FIN), Anders Nyqvist (SWE)
 
ATTENDANCE: 4,400
 
START: 20:30
END: 22:36
LENGTH: 2:06
 
FINAL POOL STANDINGS
 
Pool A
                      GP        W         OTW    OTL       L          GF       GA       PTS
1. CZE             3          3          0          0          0          20        5          9
1. SVK             3          2          0          0          1          21        9          6
1. ESP              3          1          0          0          2          12        10        3
1. CHN             3          0          0          0          3          1          30        0
 
Pool B
1. CAN             3          3          0          0          0          23        4          9
2. RUS             3          2          0          0          1          21        6          6
2. SWE             3          0          1          0          2          6          16        2
4. KOR             3          0          0          1          2          5          29        1
 
Pool C
1. KAZ             2          1          0          1          0          5          5          4
2. USA             2          1          0          0          1          5          5          3
3. JPN              2          0          1          0          1          5          5          2
 
Scoring system:
3 points for a win in regulation
2 points for a win in overtime or shootout
1 point for a loss in overtime or shootout
 
Legend: W (win), OTW (OT win), OTL (OT loss), L (loss)
 
About the Winter Universiade

The Winter Universiade is a biennial international multi-sport event open to competitors who are at least 17 and less than 28 years of age as of January 1 in the year of the Games. Participants must be full-time students at a post-secondary institution (university, college, CEGEP) or have graduated from a post-secondary institution in the year preceding the event.
 
The Granada Universiade will feature nine compulsory sports and one optional sport. Compulsory sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, ice hockey, curling, nordic skiing, short track speed skating, figure skating, synchronized skating, snowboarding. Optional sport: freestyle skiing.
 
NOTE: Biathlon and nordic skiing will take place in Strbske Pleso and Osrblie, Slovakia from Jan. 24 to Feb. 1, prior to the start of the Games in Granada.
 
Official website: www.granada2015.org
 
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
 
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Every year, over 11,500 student-athletes and 700 coaches from 56 universities and four regional associations vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit www.cis-sic.ca or follow us on:
 
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CIS_SIC  
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cissports
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/universitysport
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/CIS_SIC
 
-CIS-