Pats' Reddin wanted a U.S. win
By Ian Hamilton, The Leader-Post
January 5, 2011
Colin Reddin escaped unscathed Tuesday.
The 20-year-old centre, a product of Corona Del Mar, Calif., is the only American on the roster of the WHL's Regina Pats.
In light of Canada's 4-1 victory over the U.S. on Monday at the world junior hockey championship in Buffalo, Reddin could have been razzed mercilessly by his Canadian-born Pats teammates Tuesday -- but he wasn't.
"Everyone kind of just let that one go by," Reddin said with a chuckle after the Pats practised at the Brandt Centre. "They knew I was pretty disappointed. But I didn't really have anything to fight back with.
"I really don't even think that the U.S. brought its best game, to be honest," he added. "Canada showed up at the right time, that's for sure."
Reddin played in the U.S. national team program for two years, representing his home country on both the under-17 and under-18 teams. He left the program and joined the Portland Winterhawks during the 2007-08 WHL season.
His history in the national-team program only added to his disappointment with Monday's result.
"You know the style that they play and the familiar faces out there," Reddin said. "It's a little frustrating when things don't go your way, especially after winning it last year. But Canada found a way to win and they did a better job than we did."
So did the Canadian fans. By all estimates, the visiting team Monday had more fan support than did the host squad. While Reddin believes there's similar interest in the world junior championship in the States as there is in Canada, he admitted it isn't always evident in the rinks.
"The biggest difference is the people supporting the team," he said. "You see in Buffalo that there was more red in the stands than anything. But I think (the interest) is the same."
Pats head coach Curtis Hunt -- who was an assistant coach on the Canadian junior teams that won gold medals in 2007 and '08 -- also was an interested observer Monday.
Hunt grinned and shook his head when asked if he had bugged Reddin about the outcome.
"I was more focused on how well the D played for Canada -- and we want our defence to listen to the (Pierre) McGuire comments because he was talking about great sticks and covering the ice and gaps and composure and doing a really good job against a really fast team," Hunt said, referring to TSN's analyst.
"I tried to watch it like a fan, but I thought (the Canadians) had a terrific game plan and the players executed it to perfection. (The Americans) didn't pull their goalie (late in the game) and that sends a big message as to how our team played."
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