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Soucisse and Firus near podium at Finlandia Open

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ESPOO, Finland – Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver took fourth spot in ice dancing on Sunday to conclude the Finlandia Open figure skating competition. The event was the sixth stop on the ISU Challenger Series circuit.

Two-time world champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guilaume Cizeron of France won the gold at 188.25, Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin of Russia were second at 166.88 and Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolay Sorensen of Denmark were third at 158.21.

Soucisse and Firus were also fourth after the short dance and totalled 154.60. The result was one placing higher than at the season opening Challenger Series event last month in Salt Lake City.

‘’For the short dance we were pretty solid and happy about the scores,’’ said Soucisse. ‘’In the free dance we had a couple of stumbles but at the end of the day we were pleased with what we accomplished.’’

The couple felt they improved since Salt Lake.

‘’We focused more on good levels and just skating bigger,’’ added Firus. ‘’We showed a lot of good energy as well which is really awesome.’’

In women’s competition, Maria Sotskova of Russia won the gold medal with 205.30 points. Carolina Kostner of Italy was second at 193.76 and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia third at 189.13.

Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., the world championship bronze medallist, placed sixth at 174.83. She was fifth after the short program and produced the seventh best free skate.

She opened with a triple-triple combination and also landed a triple-double-double and double Axel. Two falls near the end hurt her overall result.

‘’It wasn’t my best but overall definitely a step in the right direction,’’ said Daleman. ‘’Both programs this year are much harder skating skill wise. There’s more choreography and difficulty. There was a lot of good stuff but also a lot I need to go home and work on.’’

Full results: Finlandia Trophy Espoo 2017

Canadian pair a point from podium at Finlandia Open

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ESPOO, Finland – Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto missed a berth on the podium by a point in pairs Saturday at the Finlandia Open figure skating competition. The event is the sixth stop on the ISU Challenger Series circuit.

Cheng Peng and Yang Jin of China won the gold medal with 198.03 points, Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise of Italy were second at 193.50 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia third at 184.78.

Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch were fourth after Thursday’s short program and didn’t budge in the standings despite the third best free skate. They totalled 183.80.

‘’We pushed hard and did an OK job considering it is so early in the season.’’ said Moscovitch, sixth with his partner at the world championships last season. ‘’Both programs are new so we’re taking in information on what we need to improve on and focus on leading into the Grand Prix season.’’

Boyang Jin of China won the gold medal in men’s competition ahead of two Americans: Vincent Zhou in second and Adam Rippon in third.

Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., and Kevin Reynolds of Coquitlam, B.C., were 10th and 11th.

In ice dancing Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver are fourth after the short dance while world championship bronze medallist Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., is fifth after the women’s short program.

The free dance and women’s free skate are on Sunday.

Full results: Finlandia Trophy Espoo 2017

Canadian skaters continue on ISU Challenger Series in Finland

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send five skaters entries, for a total of seven skaters to the 22nd annual Finlandia Trophy, the sixth event on the 2017 ISU Challenger Series. The competition runs from October 6-8, 2017, in Espoo, Finland. Canada will have two men’s entries and one entry per discipline in ladies, pairs and ice dance.

Olympic silver medallist (team) Kevin Reynolds, 27, Coquitlam, B.C., is the first of two Canadian men entries. Last season on the ISU Challenger Series, he won the silver medal at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy. Reynolds also placed ninth at the 2017 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The Canadian silver medallist is coached by Joanne McLeod in Burnaby, B.C.

Roman Sadovsky, 18, Vaughan, Ont., is the second Canadian entry in men’s. Last season, he placed seventh at the ISU Challenger Series Golden Spin of Zagreb. He also placed 17th at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Sadovsky is coached by Tracey Wainman in Richmond Hill, Ont.

World bronze medallist Gabrielle Daleman, 19, Newmarket, Ont., will represent Canada in ladies. Last season on the ISU Challenger Series, Daleman won bronze at the Nebelhorn Trophy. The 2017 Canadian silver medallist is coached by Lee Barkell and Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.

Canadian silver medallists Lubov Ilyushechkina, 25, Moscow, Russia, and Dylan Moscovitch, 33, Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian pair entry. Last season, Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch won the silver medal at the Nebelhorn Trophy on the ISU Challenger Series. They also placed sixth at the 2017 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. They are coached by Lee Barkell, Bryce Davison and Tracy Wilson in Toronto, Ont.

Carolane Soucisse, 22, Châteauguay, Que., and Shane Firus, 23, North Vancouver, B.C., will represent Canada in ice dance. Soucisse and Firus placed fifth at their first ISU Challenger Series event of the season, the 2017 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

Skate Canada High Performance Director Mike Slipchuk will travel with the team as Canadian team leader. Physiotherapist Karen Seymour of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Karen Butcher of Greely, Ont., and Karen Howard of Regina, Sask., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results and full entries please visit the official event website.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2017 FINLANDIA TROPHY

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men Kevin Reynolds 27 Coquitlam, B.C. Vancouver SC Joanne McLeod
Men Roman Sadovsky 18 Vaughan, Ont. York Region Skating Academy Tracey Wainman
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman 19 Newmarket, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Brian Orser
Pairs Lubov Ilyushechkina / Dylan Moscovitch 25/33 Moscow, Russia / Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club / Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Bryce Davison / Tracy Wilson
Ice Dance Carolane Soucisse / Shane Firus 22/23 Châteauguay, Que. / North Vancouver, B.C. CPA Repentigny / CPA Ahuntsic Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon