By Aaron Bell / CHL.ca
Cody Hodgson of the Brampton Battalion scored a goal and added a pair of assists to help Canada double Sweden 4-2 in a World Junior warm up game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Friday.
Hodgson picked up a rebound at the side of the net and set up John Tavares of the Oshawa Generals for the opening goal on a powerplay early in the first period. Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires fired the initial shot from the point and picked up an assist on the play.
Hodgson put Canada up by two when scored a powerplay goal midway through the second period. Alex Pietrangelo of the Niagara IceDogs wired a wrist shot from the blueline that Hodgson redirected in front of the net. Jordan Eberle of the Regina Pats also picked up an assist when he fed the puck to Pietrangelo at the point.
Hodgson also picked up an assist when Zach Boychuk of the Lethbridge Hurricanes scored early in the second period. Boychuk scooped up a loose puck just outside the crease and put the puck over the shoulder of Swedish goalie Mark Owuya.
Jamie Benn of the Kelowna Rockets padded Canada’s lead late in the third period when he broke in alone on the Swedish net. He took advantage of a turnover in the neutral zone and tucked the puck through the legs of Owuya.
Sweden replied with a late second period powerplay goal by Oscar Moller, who joined the Swedish team after playing all season with the Los Angeles Kings. Moller played in the CHL for two seasons with the Chilliwack Bruins. Top NHL draft prospect Victor Hedman cut into Canada’s lead when he scored a shorthanded marker in the last minute of the game.
Dustin Tokarski of the Spokane Chiefs got the start in goal for Canada. He turned aside all eight shots he faced before giving way to Chet Pickard of the Tri-City Americans at the midway point of the game. Pickard allowed two goals on 16 shots.
Canada continues its pre-tournament warm-up with a game against Finland on Sunday at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga (7:00 p.m. Eastern on TSN and RDS).
Canada opens the 2009 World Junior Championships on Boxing Day against the Czech Republic.
