Mann-Dixon, Canada East Finish 4th

Friday was a good day for Russian goaltenders.

While Ilya Sorokin made 51 saves in a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in world junior pre-tournament action, Ilya Samsonov made 46 saves in a 2-0 win over Canada East in the bronze medal game of the World Junior A Hockey Challenge.

According to Hockey Canada, Samsonov set a tournament record for saves in a shutout.

Sea Dogs goaltending prospect Blade Mann-Dixon was at the other end of the ice and made 27 saves in the loss. It was another solid outing for Mann-Dixon who had a strong tournament despite Canada East having its struggles.

Here’s how he performed in each game:

Dec. 14: 21 saves in 4-3 loss to Switzerland

Dec. 16: 43 saves in 3-2 loss to the United States

Dec. 17: 38 saves in 4-2 win over Canada West

Dec. 18: 40 saves in 7-1 loss to the United States

Dec. 19: 27 saves in 2-0 loss to Russia

Mann-Dixon finishes the tournament with a 3.34 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.

The United States plays Denmark for gold today at 4:30 p.m. The game can be seen on TSN.

Photo: Hockey Canada