Colten Parayko of St. Albert is a slap shot away from playing for a gold medal with Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship.
Canada and Russia will face-off this morning in semifinal action in Cologne, Germany and the result will determine Sunday's pairings in the gold and bronze medal games against Finland and Sweden.
Parayko, 24, has scored three goals and added two assists in five games since joining Canada last week after the St. Louis Blues were eliminated in the National Hockey League playoffs.
The six-foot-six defenceman pumped in a pair of power-play goals in Monday's 5-0 win over Norway.
It was Parayko's third game of the tournament.
"From the get-go the guys have been awesome. They've opened up their arms for me and it's been a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to continuing on with these guys because they're all great players and teammates, and good things are (still) to come," Parayko told Hockey Canada's media rep after the win.
In the next game, Parayko recorded one goal and one assist in the 5-2 victory over Finland.
The 2016 NHL All-Rookie Team selection with the Blues played for U23 Team North America at last year's World Cup of Hockey.
Parayko's last minor hockey team in St. Albert was the midget AA Crusaders before joining the Fort McMurray Oil Barons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
Ella Stanley of the Paul Kane Blues is among 19 athletes invited to participate in the U16 national team tryouts through Canada Basketball Women's High Performance program
The selection process for the FIBA U16 Women's Americas Championship starts Wednesday in Mississauga, Ont., followed by the team's training camp that ends June 3.
The U16 Americas is June 7 to 11 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Canada is looking to duplicate its 2015 gold-medal finish while also qualifying for the 2018 FIBA U17 Worlds.
Canada is fourth in the FIBA youth girls' rankings.
Stanley, a Grade 10 forward, is joined by Yvonne Ejim (St. Elizabeth Seaton) and Brynn Maskikewich (St. Francis) of Calgary as the only Albertans to receive invites.
A pair of St. Albert Mission U19AA belles are attending Ringette Canada's junior national team selection camp this weekend in Etobicoke, Ont.
Haley Groenenboom of St. Albert and Shaylene Laufersweiler of Stony Plan are among 11 Albertans and 35 players nation-wide to receive invites.
After the camp, athletes moving on to the next phase of selection will be announced Tuesday.
Junior worlds are Nov. 27 to Dec. 3 in Mississauga, Ont.
At the 2017 nationals in Leduc, Groenenboom was a second team all-star selection on defence and Laufersweiler was the first team all-star netminder for the Mission, fourth-place finishers in the 16-team tournament.
The Brezovski sisters of St. Albert carded top-five finishes in the U15 female division at last weekend's Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in Carstairs.
Brooke, 13, shot rounds of 91 and 88 for a third-place score of 179.
Belle, 11, was fifth at 193 (92-101).
The division winner was Stephanie Chlack, 14, of Calgary at 159 (84-75).
Meanwhile, Brooke was invited to play in the U14 division at the PGA Alberta Junior Masters, starting Thursday at Wolf Creek Golf Resort.
Alicia Easthope of St. Albert will also compete in the U18 division.
Carter McCorriston's five-point performance propelled the St. Albert Crude to their second win of the season in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League.
McCorriston tallied twice and added three assists in Thursday's 8-5 result against the Edmonton Warriors at George Hughes Arena.
Greyson Seibel and Liam Potgieter registered two goals and two assists apiece in the junior B Tier I contest.
Brock McIntyre and Jorden McCuaig also scored against the Warriors (1-4-1).
Tuesday the Crude (2-4) host the Fort Saskatchewan Rebels (2-3) at 9 p.m. at Akinsdale Arena.
