Canadian pairs climb to fourth at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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SARANSK, Russia – Lori-Ann Matte and Thierry Ferland of Lévis, Que., climbed to a fourth place finish in pairs on Friday at the fourth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Russians swept the podium with Anastasia Mishina and Vladislav Mirzoev first with 175.82 points. Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii were second at 152.57 and Ekaterina Borisov and Dmitry Sopot of Russia third at 150.76.

Matte and Ferland were fifth after the short program on Thursday but produced ghe fourth best free skate of the day to make a move in the final ranking. They were sixth at the second stop in Ostrava, the Czech Republic.

Jamie Knoblauch of Milton, Ont., and Cody Wong of Cambridge, Ont., were 10th.

There was another Russian victory in men’s competition as Alexander Samarin took the gold. Andrew Torgashev of the U.S. was second and Matyas Belohradsky of the Czech Republic was third.

Edrian Paul Celestino of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., also made an impressive climb up the standings going from 12th after the short program to ninth overall.

‘’After the long I’m very satisfied with how I performed,’’ said Celestino, 18. ‘’There were things I could improve but with the way came back in this long program I’m happy with myself. It’s a learning experience and I want to improve from now on.’’

In the short dance, Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que., and Claudio Pietrantonio of Laval, Que., stand seventh.
The free dance is on Saturday. Canada has no entries in women’s competition.

Full results: ISU JGP Cup of Mordovia 2016

Canadian skaters in Salt Lake City for U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

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OTTAWA, ON: Canada will have eight entries, for a total of 11 skaters at the 2016 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, the second event on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) 2016 Challenger Series. Canada will have three entries in men’s, two entries per discipline in ladies and ice dance, and one entry in pair at the event which runs from September 14-18, 2016, in Salt Lake City, UT.

Nam Nguyen, 18, Toronto, Ont., is the first of three Canadian entries in men’s. This will be the 2015 Canadian Champion’s first time competing at this event. Last season, Nguyen placed fifth at Skate Canada International, seventh at the Rostelecom Cup, 27th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships and fourth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by David Glynn in San Jose, CA, USA.

Elladj Baldé, 25, Montreal, Que., will be the second Canadian entry in the men’s category and will also be competing at this event for the first time. Last season, he won gold at the Nebelhorn Trophy, placed 11th at both the Cup of China and NHK Tophy, and placed seventh at the Canadian championships. Baldé trains in Montreal, Que., with coaches Bruno Marcotte and Manon Perron.

Mitchell Gordon, 20, Vancouver, B.C., will be the third entry in men’s for Canada. Last season, Gordon placed eighth at the 2015 Autumn Classic International and 13th at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Gordon is coached by Joanne McLeod, Neil Wilson, Eileen Murphy and Keegan Murphy and represents the Connaught Skating Club.

Véronik Mallet, 22, Sept-Îles, Que., is one of two Canadian entries in the ladies division. Mallet finished ninth at this event in 2015. Last season, the representative of CPA Sept-Îles also placed 10th at Skate Canada International, 14th at the ISU Four Continents championships and fourth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Mallet is coached by Annie Barabé at CTC Varennes.

Kim Decelles, 18, Baie-Comeau, Que., is the second Canadian entry in the ladies discipline. Last season, she placed ninth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Croatia. The representative of CPA Baie-Comeau also placed 10th in the junior women’s category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Yvan Desjardins and Violaine Émard at CPA Baie-Comeau.

Brittany Jones, 20, Toronto, Ont., and Joshua Reagan, 26, Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in pair. Jones and Reagan placed fourth at this event in 2014. Last season, they placed fourth at the 2015 Autumn Classic International and sixth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Jones and Reagan are coached by Bryce Davison and represent Hamilton SC.

Three-time Canadian bronze medallists Alexandra Paul, 24, Midhurst, Ont., and Mitchell Islam, 26, Barrie, Ont., are one of two Canadian entries in ice dance. In 2012, they won silver at this event. Last season, Paul and Islam won silver at the Nebelhorn Trophy, placed sixth at the 2015 Skate Canada International, and placed fourth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The representatives of Barrie SC train in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer.

Canadian junior champions Mackenzie Bent, 19, Uxbridge, Ont., and Dmitre Razgulajevs, 19, Ajax, Ont., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. In their first season competing together, the representatives of Uxbridge SC and Scarboro FSC won silver at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in the United States, placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Spain, and placed ninth at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. They are coached by Carol Lane, Jon Lane, and Juris Razgulajevs at Ice Dance Elite at Scarboro FSC.

Paige Lawrence of Kennedy, Sask., will be the Canadian team leader at the event and physiotherapist Karen Seymour of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Susan Morriss of Victoria, B.C., and Pam Chislett of Grand Prairie, Alta., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For more information and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2016 U.S. INTERNATIONAL FIGURE SKATING CLASSIC

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Nam Nguyen 18 Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club David Glynn
Mens Elladj Baldé 25 Montreal, Que. CPA Anjou Kinsmen Bruno Marcotte / Manon Perron
Mens Mitchell Gordon 20 Vancouver, B.C. Connaught Skating Club Joanne McLeod / Neil Wilson / Eileen Murphy / Keegan Murphy
Ladies Véronik Mallet 22 Sept- Îles, Que. CPA Sept-Îles Annie Barabé / Maximin Coïa
Ladies Kim Decelles 18 Baie-Comeau, Que. CPA Baie Comeau Yvan Desjardins / Violaine Émard
Pair Brittany Jones / Joshua Reagan 20/26 Toronto, Ont. / Toronto, Ont. Hamilton SC / Hamilton SC Bryce Davison
Ice Dance Alexandra Paul / Mitchell Islam 24/26 Midhurst, Ont. / Barrie, Ont. Barrie SC / Barrie SC Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer
Ice Dance Mackenzie Bent / Dmitre Razgulajevs 19/19 Uxbridge, Ont. / Ajax, Ont. Uxbridge SC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Jon Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit continues as Team Canada heads to Russia

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OTTAWA, ON: Canada will have four entries, for a total of seven skaters at the fourth ISU Junior Grand Prix of the season, taking place in Saransk, Russia. Canada will have one entry per discipline in men’s and ice dance and two entries in pair at the event which takes place from September 14-18, 2016.
Canadian junior silver medallist Edrian Paul Celestino, 18, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., will represent Canada in men’s. Last season, he placed 13th at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Austria and fourth at the Autumn Classic International. The representative of Saint Laurent FSC is coached by Daniel Beland at the Dollard Civic Centre.

Lori-Ann Matte, 17, Lévis, Que., and Thierry Ferland, 19, Lévis, Que., are one of two Canadian pair entries at the event. Earlier this season, they placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in the Czech Republic. Last season, they placed sixth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the junior category. Matte and Ferland are coached by Martine Simard and represent CPA St. Romuald – St. Jean.

Canadian novice pair champions Jamie Knoblauch, 14, Milton, Ont., and Cody Wong, 21, Cambridge, Ont., are the second Canadian pair entry at the event. This will be their first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. Knoblauch and Wong are coached by Kevin Wheeler and Laurence Collin-Knoblauch and represent Champs International SC and Preston FSC.

Alicia Fabbri, 13, Terrebonne, Que., and Claudio Pietrantonio, 19, Laval, Que., are the Canadian entry in ice dance. Last season, they won silver in the novice category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Fabbri and Pietrantonio are coached by Julien Lalonde, Mylène Girard and Lynn McKay.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, will be the Canadian team leader. Dr. Erika Persson of Edmonton, Alta., and physiotherapist Sylvia Ciurysek of Berwyn, Alta., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Andrew Bosco of Thorold, Ont., and Karen Butcher of Nepean, Ont., are the Canadian officials at the event.

The ISU will be live streaming the competition via the ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel. For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #4 – Saransk, Russia

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Edrian Paul Celestino 18 Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que. Saint Laurent FSC Daniel Beland
Pair Lori-Ann Matte / Thierry Ferland 17/19 Lévis, Que. / Lévis, Que., CPA St. Romuald – St. Jean / CPA St. Romuald – St. Jean Martine Simard
Pair Jamie Knoblauch / Cody Wong 14/21 Milton, Ont. / Cambridge, Ont. Champs International SC & Preston FSC / Preston FSC Kevin Wheeler / Laurence Collin-Knoblauch
Ice Dance Alicia Fabbri / Claudio Pietrantonio 13/19 Terrebonne, Que. / Laval, Que. CPA Terrebonne / CPA Laval Julien Lalonde / Mylène Girard / Lynn McKay

Skating Community Mourning the Loss of Hall of Fame Coach Ellen Burka

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OTTAWA, ON: Legendary skating coach Ellen Burka passed away yesterday evening at the age of 95 in Toronto. Burka was a Skate Canada Hall of Fame coach and one of the world’s most respected coaches and choreographers, taking skaters to the highest level of competition over her lifetime.

A national skating champion in her native Holland, she emigrated to Canada in 1950 after surviving the holocaust. Burka joined the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club and began her successful coaching career.

Burka, an Olympic and World coach, taught many accomplished skaters. Memorable students include her daughter Petra Burka, the 1964 Olympic bronze medallist and 1965 World Champion, as well as Toller Cranston, six-time Canadian Champion and 1976 Olympic bronze medallist.

Her commitment, innovative coaching techniques and dedication earned her the Order of Canada in 1978. In 1996, she became an honored member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. In 2013, she was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Skate Canada offers its sincere condolences to Burka’s family and friends.

Canadian ice dancers fourth at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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YOKOHAMA, Japan – Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of Greenfield Park, Que., took fourth spot in ice dancing on Sunday to conclude the third stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons of the U.S. took the gold with 160.42 points, Anastasia Shpilevaya and Grigory Smirnov of Russia were second at 151.50 and Angelique Abachkina and Louis Thauron of France third at 148.76

Lajoie and Lagha, world junior team members last season, followed at 137.14, their best-ever international score.

“Both programs went very well,’’ said Lajoie. “We are happy with our result and fell we are on the right track.’’

Olivia Han of Waterloo, Ont., and Grayson Lochhead of Sweaburg, Ont., were eighth.

Japan swept the podium in women’s competition: Kaori Sakamoto took the gold, Marin Honda the silver and Mako Yamashita the bronze.

Fourteen-year-old Emily Bausback of Vancouver produced the eighth best free skate to climb from 13th after the short program to 10th overall in her Junior Grand Prix debut.

On Saturday, Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., landed his first career quadruple jump on international ice and was fifth. Eric Liu of Edmonton was 14th.

The fourth stop on the circuit is this upcoming weekend in Saranks, Russia.

Full results: ISU JGP Yokohama 2016

Roman Sadovsky lands quad jump, places fifth at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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YOKOHAMA, Japan – Roman Sadovksy of Vaughan, Ont., landed a quadruple jump for the first time on international ice and took fifth spot on Saturday in men’s competition at the third stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit in figure skating.

Juan Hwan Cha of South Korea was the winner with 239.47 points. Vincent Zhou of the U.S. was second at 226.39 and Alexey Erokhov of Russia third at 216.91. Sadovsky, fourth after the short program, finished with 211.56.

‘’I’m pretty happy with my free skate,’’ said Sadovsky, a double medallist last year on the circuit. ‘’Getting that quad jump was definitely a step up for me. For me to move up in the standings I need to land the triple Axel and I also hope to another one in the program as well. Little disappointed I missed it here today.’’

In ice dancing, Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of Greenfield Park, Que., are in fourth place after the short program just under four points from the podium position. Olivia Han of Waterloo, Ont., and Grayson Lochhead of Sweaburg, Ont., are eighth.

In Friday’s women’s short program 14-year-old Emily Bausback of Vancouver stands 13th in her junior Grand Prix debut.

Competition ends Sunday with the free dance and women’s free skate.

Full results: ISU JGP Yokohama 2016

Canadian skaters continue on ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit in Japan

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OTTAWA, ON: Canada will have five entries, for a total of seven skaters at the third ISU Junior Grand Prix of the season. The event takes place in Yokohama, Japan, from September 7-11, 2016. Canada will have one entry in ladies and two entries in men’s and ice dance. There will be no pair competition at the event.

Roman Sadovsky, 17, Vaughan, Ont., is one of two Canadian entries in men’s. Last season, Sadovsky won gold at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Slovakia, bronze at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Poland and placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. He also placed fourth at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games and ninth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the senior category. Sadovsky is coached by Brian Orser and Lee Barkell.

Eric Liu, 15, Edmonton, Alta., will also represent Canada in men’s. Liu placed 15th at his first ISU Junior Grand Prix this season, in St. Gervais, France. Last season he placed seventh in the junior category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Ravi Walia at Ice Palace FSC.

Emily Bausback, 14, Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian entry in ladies. This will be her first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. Last season, she placed seventh in the novice category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Joanne McLeod at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Marjorie Lajoie, 15, Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, 17, Greenfield Park, Que., are one of two Canadian entries in ice dance. Last season, the 2016 Canadian junior silver medallists placed seventh at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Spain, fourth at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games, and 13th at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Lajoie and Lagha train in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer and Pascal Denis.

Olivia Han, 14, Waterloo, Ont., and Grayson Lochhead, 16, Sweaburg, Ont., will also represent Canada in ice dance. The 2016 Canadian novice champions represent the Kitchener-Waterloo SC and Woodstock SC. Han and Lochhead are coached by Paul McIntosh.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director, will be the Canadian team leader. Physiotherapist Paige Larson of North Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Patty Klein of Mt. Royal, Que., and Susan Blatz of Burlington, Ont., are the Canadian officials at the event.

The ISU will be live streaming the competition via the ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #3 – Yokohama, Japan

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Roman Sadovsky 17 Vaughan, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Brian Orser / Lee Barkell
Mens Eric Liu 15 Edmonton, Alta. Ice Palace FSC Ravi Walia
Ladies Emily Bausback 14 Vancouver, B.C. Champs International Skating Centre Joanne McLeod
Ice Dance Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha 15/17 Boucherville, Que. / Greenfield Park, Que. CPA Boucherville / CPA St-Lambert Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer / Pascal Denis
Ice Dance Olivia Han / Grayson Lochhead 14/16 Waterloo, Ont. / Sweaburg, Ont. Kitchener-Waterloo SC / Woodstock SC Paul McIntosh

2016 Skate Canada International Single Event Tickets On Sale Friday

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TORONTO, ON: Single event tickets for the 2016 Skate Canada International will go on sale this Friday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The event will take place from October 27-30, 2016 in Mississauga, Ontario at Hershey Centre.

TICKETS
Single tickets range from $35-$60, plus applicable surcharges. A full list of event sessions with pricing and start times can be found on the event page. NEW! Family two-packs or four-packs, that include pre-paid food vouchers are now available! Please see the 2016 Skate Canada International event page for more details.

Tickets for the Thursday practices will be free to attend with tickets available at the Hershey Centre box office, first come first serve, up to capacity.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.ca, by phone at 1-855-985-5000 or in person at the Hershey Centre box office.

WHO TO WATCH
The line-up in Mississauga features Canadian favourites including two-time world pair champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, three-time world champion Patrick Chan, and Canadian champion Alaine Chartrand. Fans will also get to witness the homecoming of Olympic ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir; they will make their return to competition after taking a two-year hiatus.

They will be joined by various current and former world champions including Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia, Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia, and Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte of Italy.

EVENT INFO
Skate Canada International is the second competition on the annual ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The other events take place in the United States (Skate America), Russia (Rostelecom Cup), France (Trophée Eric Bompard), China (Cup of China) and Japan (NHK Trophy). The top six from each discipline (men’s, ladies, pair and ice dance) qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final to be held in Marseille, France from December 8-11, 2016.

Joseph Phan sixth in ISU Junior Grand Prix debut

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OSTRAVA, Czech Republic – Canadian junior champion Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., completed his first ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating competition is sixth place in men’s singles on Saturday at the second stop on the circuit.

Dmitri Aliev of Russia won the gold medal with 232.83 points, Alexei Krasnozhon of the U.S. was second in 223.60 and Roman Savosin of Russia third in 207.64.

Phan, 15, was sixth both the short and long programs and totalled 189.78. Samuel Turcotte of Varennes, Que., also in his Junior Grand Prix debut, was 11th.

‘’I tried to do like at home in practice and I think I achieved that,’’ said Phan. ‘’it was quite an experience being here and I felt proud to be skating amongst this kind of talent. It makes you want to go back home and work harder.’’

Turcotte,16, is also headed home satisfied.

‘’I felt the experience here was very valuable,’’ said Turcotte. ‘’I was really pleased how we prepared for this competition. I felt very ready.’’

Russia won two more medals in women’s competition with Anastasiia Gubanova earning gold and Alisa Lozko the bronze. Rika Kihira of Japan was second.

Alicia Pineault of Varennes took 10th spot in her debut on the circuit.

The third stop on the Junior Grand Prix is this Friday and Saturday Yokohama, Japan.

Complete results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1617/jgpcze2016/index.htm.

Whitley and Graham top Canadians at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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OSTRAVA, Czech Republic – Hannah Whitley of Barrie, Ont., and Elliott Graham of Angus, Ont., placed fifth in ice dance on Friday for Canada’s best result so far at the second stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit.

Lorraine McNamara and Quinn Carpenter of the U.S. took the gold with Nicole Kuzmich and Alexandr Sinicyn of the Czech Republic second and Arina Ushakova and Maxim Nekrasov of Russia third.

Whitley and Graham posted their best international score with 126.27 points to also improve on their seventh place finish from last year’s ISU Junior Grand Prix stop.

“We skated two of our best programs and we’re impressed to make the top-five,’’ said Whitley, 16, who sat out part of last season due to a shin injury. “We learned a lot and going home we have a lot to work on for our next competition. Our speed is one area in particular that needs improvement. For me it’s great to be back on the ice pain free.’’

Danielle Wu and Nik Mirzakhani of Burnaby, B.C., were seventh in their international debut.

‘’It was quite a learning experience,’’ said Wu. ‘’The short dance was a bit disappointing but we came back with a strong free. We are learning to connect together as a team and we can see a lot of improvement.’’

In pairs, Anna Duskova and Martin Bidar of the Czech Republic were the winners. Amina Atakhanova and Ilia Spiridonov of Russia were second and Chelsea Liu and Brian John son of the U.S. third.

Lori-Ann Matte and Thierry Ferland of Levis, Que., were sixth with a career-best 137.89 points while Justine Brasseur of Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy of Ste-Angèle-de-Monnoir, Que., were 11th.

‘’We are very proud of our performances here,’’ said Ferland. ‘’We achieved our goals and proud with how well we did in our first Grand Prix. We had never measured ourselves against skaters from other countries so we kept our goals focused on our own performances.’’

In the men’s short program on Friday, Canadian junior champion Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., is sixth and Samuel Turcotte of Varennes, Que., 10th.

In Thursday’s women’s short program Alicia Pineault of Varennes is 10th.

The men’s and women’s free skates are Saturday.

Complete results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1617/jgpcze2016/index.htm.

Canadian skaters head to Czech Republic for second stop on ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send seven entries, for a total of 11 skaters to Ostrava, Czech Republic, for the second stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Canada will have two entries per category in men’s, pair and ice dance, and one entry in ladies. The competition takes place from August 31-September 4, 2016.

Joseph Phan, 15, Laval, Que., is the first of two Canadian men’s entries. This will be the first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment for the 2016 Canadian junior champion. Last season, he won silver in the junior category at the 2015 Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. He is coached by Yvan Desjardins and represents CPA Laval.

Samuel Turcotte, 16, Varennes, Que., will also represent Canada in men’s and will be competing at his first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. Last season, he won the silver medal at the 2016 Skate Canada Challenge in the novice category. He is coached by Andree Beauchemin and represents CPA Varennes.

Alicia Pineault, 17, Varennes, Que., will be the Canadian entry in the ladies discipline. Last season, she won silver in the junior category at the 2015 Skate Canada Autumn Classic International and also won silver in the junior category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Stéphane Yvars and represents CPA Varennes.

Justine Brasseur, 15, Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy, 19, Sainte-Angèle-de-Monnoir, Que., one of two Canadian pair entries at the event. Representing CPA Brossard and CPA Saint-Césaire, they placed sixth in Latvia and fourth in Austria at their ISU Junior Grand Prix assignments last season. They also placed fourth at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games, fourth in the junior category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, and seventh at the 2016 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Brasseur and Ostiguy train in Saint-Léonard, Que., with coaches Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte.

Lori-Ann Matte, 17, Lévis, Que., and Thierry Ferland, 19, Lévis, Que., are the second Canadian pair entry at the event. This will be their first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. Last season, they placed sixth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the junior category. Matte and Ferland are coached by Martine Simard and represent CPA St. Romuald – St. Jean.

Hannah Whitley, 16, Barrie, Ont., and Elliott Graham, 18, Angus, Ont., are one of two entries in ice dance. Last season, they placed seventh at their international assignment in Latvia. Whitley and Graham are coached by David Islam and Kelly Johnson at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont.

Danielle Wu, 18, Burnaby, B.C., and Nik Mirzakhani, 20, Burnaby, B.C., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. Last season, they placed ninth in the junior category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe at the Champs International Skating Centre.
André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, and Scott Rachuk of Strathroy, Ont., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Physiotherapist Josiane Roberge of Sillery, Que., will be the Canadian team medical staff on site. Veronique Gosselin of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Jacqueline Wickett Warren of Ottawa, Ont., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #2 – Ostrava, Czech Republic

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Joseph Phan 15 Laval, Que. CPA Laval Yvan Desjardins
Mens Samuel Turcotte 16 Varennes, Que. CPA Varennes Andree Beauchemin
Ladies Alicia Pineault 17 Varennes, Que. CPA Varennes Stéphane Yvars
Pair Justine Brasseur / Mathieu Ostiguy 15/19 Brossard, Que. / Sainte-Angèle-de-Monnoir, Que. CPA Brossard CPA Saint-Césaire Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte
Pair Lori-Ann Matte / Thierry Ferland 17/19 Lévis, Que. / Lévis, Que., CPA St. Romuald – St. Jean / CPA St. Romuald – St. Jean Martine Simard
Ice Dance Hannah Whitley / Elliott Graham 16/18 Barrie, Ont. / Angus, Ont. Barrie SC / Barrie SC David Islam / Kelly Johnson
Ice Dance Danielle Wu / Nik Mirzakhani 18/20 Burnaby, B.C. / Burnaby, B.C. Champs International Skating Centre / Champs International Skating Centre Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe

Canada’s Conrad Orzel in medal hunt at season opening ISU Junior Grand Prix

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ST-GERVAIS, France – Conrad Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., will go for a medal in men’s singles at his first career ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating competition as he stands fourth after the short program in the season opening event.

Yaroslav Paniot of Ukraine leads at 68.58, Roman Savosin of Russia is second at 67.44 and Kevin Aymoz of France third at 64.74. Orzel, a 16-year-old who was fifth at the junior nationals last season, follows at 61.65.
Eric Liu of Edmonton is 17th.

There was one final on Friday as Alina Zagitova of Russia took the gold medal in women’s singles. Kaori Sakamoto and Rin Nitaya, both of Japan, were second and third.

Olivia Gran, a 13-year-old from Kelowna, B.C., made a strong climb in the standing jumping from 13th after the short program to ninth overall. She had the eighth best free skate.

In ice dancing after the short dance, Ashlynne Stairs of Calgary and Lee Royer of St. Albert, Alta., are in eighth place.

Competition ends Saturday with the men’s free skate and the free dance.

Complete results: ISU JGP St. Gervais 2016