2013 World Junior A Challenge facts for kids
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Canada |
| Dates | November 4, 2013 – November 10, 2013 |
| Teams | 6 |
| Venue(s) | Mariners Centre in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia |
| Final positions | |
Champions  |
 United States (5th title) |
Runner-up  |
 Russia |
Third place  |
 Canada West |
| Fourth place | .svg){kind=small} Switzerland |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 13 |
| Scoring leader(s) |  Nick Schmaltz (12 pts.) |
| MVP | Nick Schmaltz |
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The 2013 World Junior A Challenge was a big international ice hockey tournament for young players. It was put together by Hockey Canada. The event took place in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, from November 4 to November 10, 2013. Games were played at the Mariners Centre. This year, the tournament also included the 9th annual Canadian Junior Hockey League Prospects Game Challenge. It was the third time these two events happened together.
Contents
Teams Competing
Six teams from different countries came to play in the 2013 World Junior A Challenge:
Tournament Overview
All the teams from the previous year's tournament returned for 2013. Before the main tournament, some exhibition games were played to help the teams get ready. For example, the United States played against Canada West, and the Czech Republic played against Canada East.
How the Tournament Worked
The six teams were split into two groups, called Pool A and Pool B.
- Pool A included the United States, Russia, and Canada East.
- Pool B included Canada West, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.
Teams played against others in their own group. After these "round robin" games, the top teams moved on to the championship rounds.
Key Game Results
The tournament had many exciting games. Here are some of the important results:
- In the round robin, the United States won both their games in Pool A.
- Canada West also won both their games in Pool B.
- In the quarterfinals, Russia beat the Czech Republic, and Switzerland won against Canada East in overtime.
- In the semifinals, Russia defeated Canada West, and the United States beat Switzerland.
Who Won the Medals
The final games were played to decide who would take home the medals:
- The Czech Republic won the 5th place game against Canada East.
- For the Bronze Medal, Canada West played against Switzerland. Canada West won the bronze medal game with a score of 5-3.
- For the Gold Medal, the United States played against Russia. The United States won the gold medal, beating Russia 4-1. This was their fifth time winning the tournament!
Final Standings
Here's how all the teams finished in the tournament:
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
 |
United States |
 |
Russia |
 |
.svg){kind=small} Canada West |
| 4th | Switzerland |
| 5th |  Czech Republic |
| 6th | Canada East |
Player Awards
Some players stood out for their amazing skills during the tournament:
- Most Valuable Player (MVP): Nick Schmaltz from the United States. He was also the top scorer with 12 points!
- All-Star Team:
- Forwards: Nick Schmaltz (USA), Connor Hurley (USA), Kirill Pilipenko (Russia)
- Defense: Neal Pionk (USA), Adam Plant (Canada)
- Goalie: Maxim Tretiak (Russia)
CJHL Prospects Game
The Canadian Junior Hockey League Prospects Game was also a part of the World Junior A Challenge fun. This event actually had two games, and the team that scored more goals overall won the President's Cup.
Prospects East won the President's Cup for the fourth time in nine years. They beat Prospects West with a total score of 8-4 across the two games (4-2 in each game).
