WEST Vancouver's Sam Reinhart and North Vancouver's Jackson Houck helped Team Pacific to a fifth-place finish at the 2012 World U17 Hockey Challenge played Dec. 29-Jan. 4 in Windsor, Ont.
Reinhart finished the tournament with four goals and six assists in five games, his 10 points tying him for third place in tournament scoring. Houck collected two assists in four games.
Team Pacific showed well in round-robin play, compiling a 3-1 record to finish in a three way tie for first place in their pool with the United States and Russia. A tie-breaking formula, however, put them into third place, shutting them out of the semifinals. They bounced back with a 5-4 overtime win over Team Quebec to claim fifth place. Reinhart picked up three assists, including a helper on Josh Morrissey's overtime winner, in the fifth-place game.
Russia and the United States went on to meet again in the tournament final with Russia winning 7-4.
Reinhart is in the midst of a strong season with the Western Hockey League's Kootenay Ice, tallying 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points in 36 games to sit sixth in the league in scoring amongst rookies. Houck has scored four goals and six assists in 27 games with the WHL's Vancouver Giants.
The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge brings together 10 teams, including five Canadian regions as well as national squads from the U.S., Russia, Germany, Czech Republic and Sweden.
