Jets Young Stars Classic Recap: Winnipeg 1 vs. Edmonton 3
Quick Hits
• Connor Levis recorded the lone Winnipeg goal
• Dominic DiVincentiis made 33 stops in the Jets loss
• Jake Sloan scored twice for Edmonton in the victory
Game Story
The Winnipeg Jets (0-1-0) clashed with the Edmonton Oilers (1-0-0) on Friday afternoon at South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, British Columbia for their first game of the 2023 Young Stars Classic.
Winnipeg opened the scoring with 19.1 seconds left in the first frame. Danny Zhilkin (3rd round, 2022) drove wide into the offensive zone and sent the disc to the top of the crease. Connor Levis (7th round, 2023) got his stick down and quickly tapped the puck through the pads of Edmonton netminder Nathan Day for the opening goal of the tournament. The horn sounded shortly after to draw the period to a close. Winnipeg’s Domenic DiVincentiis was called upon to make 12 total stops in the opening frame, as the Jets took a 1-0 lead into the intermission.
Edmonton tied the contest less than two minutes into the middle stanza. Beau Akey fired the puck into the zone. The disc took a bounce off the end boards and skirted to the slot, where it was knocked past DiVincentiis by the stick of Jake Sloan. The Oilers took the lead with just over eight minutes to go in the second. Cameron Wright sent a pass from behind the net, which led to a scramble in front. The ensuing confusion allowed Sloan to notch his second of the period past DiVincentiis. Winnipeg trailed in shots by a count of 21-12 and was down 2-1 after 40 minutes of play.
Edmonton pushed further ahead 1:06 into the third period with a tally on the power play. Carter Savoie used the extra space to find Akey, who stepped in and wired a hard shot past the glove of DiVincentiis for his second point of the contest. Time ticked down and despite some late pressure and chances, the Jets were unable to draw any closer as the horn sounded to draw the game to a close. DiVincentiis was hit with the loss and ended with 33 stops, while Day captured the win on the strength of 13 of his own saves.
Quote:
Winnipeg Jets Forward Connor Levis
“I think it was a pretty cool experience. I had lots of friends and family here. It was a great pass by Zhilks (Danny Zhilkin) there fitting it in front of the net. I was just trying to drive there as hard as I can. Obviously, it was a tough loss, but it was really cool scoring a goal.”
What’s Next?
Winnipeg takes on Vancouver on Sunday, September 17. Puck drop is slated for 4:00 p.m. PST. Fans can stream the Jets’ Young Stars Classic games live on winnipegjets.com.
