Ryerson to host Team Canada juniors in exhibition games

By Josh Beneteau

The Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) will host two exhibition games in December between the Team Canada World Junior team and a team of Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) all-stars. Bob McKenzie made the announcement on Twitter and the MAC account confirmed the news.

Players report to CAN’s national junior team final evaluation camp in TOR on Thursday Dec. 11. There will be two games vs. CIS stars.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) November 12, 2014

First game is Sat. Dec. 13 at 7 pm at Ryerson’s Mattamy Centre, aka Maple Leaf Gardens. Second game is Sun. Dec. 14 at 2 pm, also at Mattamy

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) November 12, 2014

The rumours are true! We’ll be hosting 2 games between @HockeyCanada Jr team v University All Stars Dec 13 & 14. Tix go on sale Friday @ 1pm

— MAC at the Gardens (@MattamyAC) November 12, 2014

Last year, the juniors beat the CIS all-stars 3-0 at the Mastercard Centre.

Update: Global Spectrum, the company that runs the MAC, released a statement with more details on the event.

In it they confirm that like last year, seven players (one goalie, two defencemen and four forwards) each from York, the University of Toronto and Ryerson will make up the CIS all-star team.

“We are extremely excited to be hosting these two games in December,” said Global Spectrum Facility Management’s Dan Berger, General Manager of the Mattamy Athletic Centre in the statement. “The World Junior Hockey Championships are a special event not only to Torontonians but all Canadians, and to be able to offer fans the opportunity to see the team play in an iconic hockey venue like Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre, former Maple Leaf Gardens, is truly incredible.”

“This is a remarkable opportunity for our student-athletes and an experience that they will never forget,” said Ryerson men’s hockey coach Graham Wise in the same statement. “To have our players connect with an organization such as Hockey Canada and the national junior team is a wonderful example of how we are consistently trying to provide our student-athletes with unique and fulfilling opportunities on and off the ice.”