RUSSIA – Alex Young and Max Giangualano put on a show for international audiences.
The Canmore Eagles’ star forwards won silver with Team AJHL at the Sirius Junior Club World Cup in Sochi, Russia.
Passionate fans showed up in droves to cheer on their teams and high-profile Russians were in attendance during games, such as President Vladimir Putin, who dropped the puck during Team AJHL’s first game against Russia’s LOKO.
“It’s hard not to get pumped when Putin is in the building,” Young said.
The 18-year-old Eagle was named top forward in the tournament, which had NHL signees playing, for his undeniable skills on the ice, hockey IQ and lighting up the lamp.
Team AJHL, featuring Alberta league’s all stars, was the Canadian representative at the eight-nation tournament. The Canadians bonded quickly and found chemistry right away overseas.
“I was really excited to go, I never had played anywhere outside of North America, so I was pumped and I didn’t know what to expect,” Young said.
And the other nations didn’t know what to expect from the pair of skilled Eagles, either. Both Young and Giangualano finished in the top 10 for tournament scoring with each netting four goals and one assist.
Young’s top moment was leading the charge of a comeback and scoring a hat trick in a 5-4 victory over Swedish team, MODO, on Aug. 25.
“We were pretty fired up,” Young said. “We were down 3-1 to the Swedish team and came back from it.”
Team AJHL advanced to the semifinals where they pounded Davos, 7-0, finishing round robin with a 2-1 record.
Giangualano, 18, scored twice and had one helper against the Swiss squad.
“Everything just worked out and I was fortunate enough to get two goals,” he said.
Max Giangualano
— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) August 30, 2019
4-1 AJHL pic.twitter.com/gMuFawDbHs
After knocking off the Finland representative in a decisive 5-1 victory, Team AJHL faced a familiar foe in the gold medal game. AJHL’s lone loss in the round robin came at the hands of powerhouse LOKO and just like that, Canada and Russia were set to face off in the finals. Canadian's grow up hearing about the historic battles on the ice the two hockey nations have been in.
“We were a little nervous,” said Young, "but I think we did a good job calming down and reminding ourselves that it’s just another game."
Young and Giangualano were in awe of the capacity crowd that showed up for the game. Whenever a Russian player touched the puck, the crowd exploded with cheers.
“I love the fans in Russia,” said Jacqueline Hurlbert, Eagles director of business operations, who handled Team AJHL’s marketing and social media presence in Russia. “It was like soccer fans with the chants, the drums – it’s a more lively atmosphere than your typical hockey game.”
Team AJHL wins silver at Junior Club World Cup in Sochi https://t.co/tbQUcEDjfN
— TheAJHL (@TheAJHL) August 31, 2019
Hurlbert and Eagles’ athletic trainer, Megan Hansen, represented Team AJHL along with Young and Giangualano.
Part of Hansen’s role was looking after all the team’s injuries, or rather, she was “sticking faces back together” during the two-week experience abroad.
“Every team had their own aspect of how they played and I think we had one as well, it was just a little different,” Hansen said.
All the Eagles were both impressed at the magnitude of the tournament, which featured a private tour of the Kremlin during the team’s down time.
“For Russia, that is their World Juniors, that is their ‘be all, end all’ event and I hope that translates here and I hope they know how big that event is there,” Hurlbert said.
In the championship game on Aug. 31, LOKO’s Vladislav Okoryak did not disapoint the Russian crowd and was a brick wall in net, stopping all 31 shots the Canucks pelted him with.
“It was definitely one of the loudest buildings I’ve played in,” Young said. “I remember our goalie told us he can’t hear anything … it’s the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in.”
LOKO repeated as tournament champions with a 3-0 victory over Team AJHL. With silver medals and tons of memories, the enitre trip was something special for Eagles representatives.
“It was a once and lifetime experience that I will remember for the rest of my life,” Young said.
Want to see more from Team AJHL’s trip to the @JCWC_en in Russia? Check out the AJHL Photo Galleries https://t.co/s1vJnGEB5F pic.twitter.com/3HRyixMn8h
— TheAJHL (@TheAJHL) September 3, 2019
