RUSSIA WINS GOLD MEDAL AT 2012 WORLD UNDER-17 HOCKEY CHALLENGE

WINDSOR, Ont. – For the first time since 2000, Russia has won the gold medal at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, defeating the United States 7-4 in Wednesday night’s gold medal game at the WFCU Centre in Windsor.

Sergei Tolchinski scored a hat trick to lead the offence, including a shorthanded penalty shot goal early in the third period to make it a 4-2 game. It’s the second year in a row the Americans have allowed a penalty shot goal in the third period of the gold medal game.

Buffalo - - Russian star Vladimir Tarasenko was the 16th overall pick by the St. Louis Blues in the 2010 NHL Draft. He dropped like a stone considering he had top ten talent and maybe top five but with the lack of a transfer agreement a lot of teams passed on the talented winger. His father, Andrei, was scoring champ in Russian hockey circles and he was an Olympian so the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Vladimir represented his country three times winning a silver medal (at the U18 in 2009) and now he’s had a chance to engineer one of the greatest comebacks in hockey history, helping his team to capture gold over a stunned Canadian team at the 2011 World Junior Championships.

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Canada's National Junior Team has advanced to the semifinals at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship after a 4-1 win over Switzerland in Sunday's quarter-final. In Monday's semifinal, Canada will face the United States; the game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT at HSBC Arena.