Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/900955
24 // DECEMBER 2017 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM " I t 's a g r e a t p l a c e t o h a v e a World Junior tournament," said Sabres coach Phil Housley, who was an assistant coach with Team USA in 2011. The U.S.-Canada contest on Dec. 29 will be one of 31 contests taking place over the course of 11 days as 10 countries will face off in a battle of international hockey's most talented players under the age of 20. Naturally, the outdoor game in Orchard Park, a first for the World Juniors, promises to be a memorable event that will raise the profile ofJunior hockey and the tournament. "Going to Bills games and see- ing the atmosphere there and how crazy the fans get, it's a great venue for an event like this," said the Sabres young superstar Jack Eichel, who has competed in two World Juniors. "People are pretty close to the field, which is great. I imagine that it's going to be a great experience for all the kids taking part in it." Just think about the teams' last meeting in 2017. Team USA beat Canada 5-4 in a classic gold medal game in Montreal, with the Americans winning thanks to the shootout heroics of Troy Terry and Tyler Parsons. T h e r i v a l r y " i s s e c o n d t o none," Housley said. USA Hockey's Kevin Couture b e l i e v e s t h e r i v a l r y g a m e " w r i n g s t h e h e a r t s t r i n g s o f sports fans." " Whether they were hockey fans prior or not, I think it's going to add a level of excitement and patriotism we're excited to pull from," said the organization's director of events. The biggest crowd to attend an IIHF game took place at the 2010 Men's World Championship as 77,803 crammed into Veltins A r e n a i n G e l s e n k i r c h e n , Germany to see the host country take on the United States. Transforming New Era Field, the home of the Buffalo Bills, into a hockey rink will be no easy task, but USA Hockey received the needed cooperation from Pegula Sports and Entertainment. " When you think about the Bills going on the road for the last couple weekends of the reg- ular season to allow us to take over and put a hockey rink at New Era Field, it show s how important it is to our partners," Couture said. The importance of the out- door game and the entire World Junior Championship will like- ly ignite interest in the game and inspire children across New York to start playing the sport. "If they're not already involved in it, they may want to try it," said Joe Baudo, the president of the New York State Amateur Hockey Association. "That's how they get involved. They see what's happening with the young kids in the World Juniors." With the next Olympic Winter Games taking place just weeks l a t e r, B a u d o t h i n k s t h e t w o events could provide a "double shot" for youth hockey. Before the Olympic flame is lit, that same atmosphere of interna- tional competition will be at home in downtown Buffalo with the addition of the HarborCenter, the three-year old, 1,800-seat facility connected to KeyBank Center, which will host seven games. Utilizing a second venue so close to the main arena will create an "Olympic atmosphere." Encore On Lake Erie Lake Erie MARK YOUR CALENDARS Dec. 26 vs. Denmark KeyBank Center 8 p.m. Dec. 29 vs. Canada New Era Field 3 p.m. Dec. 28 vs. Slovakia KeyBank Center 8 p.m. Dec. 31 vs. Finland KeyBank Center 4 p.m. Jan. 2 Quarterfinals KeyBank Center or Harborcenter TBD Jan. 4 Semifinals KeyBank Center 4 or 8 p.m. Jan. 5 Bronze- and Gold-Medal Games KeyBank Center 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. k U.S. Games At The 2018 World Junior Championship (All times ET) Loaded with future NHL talent, the U.S. National Junior Team rallied from a tough loss to Canada to win the bronze medal in 2011.