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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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TSN reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on Team Canada, which held an off-ice workout and media availability at Victoria's Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre ahead of Friday's pre-competition game against Slovakia. 

What​’s the biggest game Ian Scott has ever played? The Prince Albert Raiders goalie​ pauses to contemplate the question. 

"I'd have to say the chance I got to play my first pro game," he says after a moment. 

It was earlier this year (April 15) when Scott, on an amateur tryout with the Marlies, started in Toronto's American Hockey League regular-season finale, turning aside 30 of 33 shots in a 4-3 win over the Belleville Senators. 

What did he learn? 

"Just be ready at any time, because I remember not knowing if I was going to get a game when I was with the Marlies so just always working hard and always being ready for your first chance or next chance," he said. "Looking back at the game there were a few things that we worked on in practice leading up to the game that I caught myself doing during the game and I think that was the most rewarding thing coming out of the game."

Scott may have a new answer to the biggest-game question very soon. 

The battle to be Canada's starter is heating up. Mikey DiPietro stopped 64 of 69 shots in the selection camp scrimmages before allowing three goals on 17 shots against Switzerland on Wednesday. That puts his save percentage at .907 overall (78/86) since arriving in Victoria. Scott, meanwhile, stopped 60 of 66 shots in the scrimmages (.909 save percentage) and tonight gets his first pre-competition game start. 

"He's a different goalie than Michael," noted coach Tim Hunter. "He’s really calm in the net. He makes the routine saves and he makes everything look easy. He’s square to the puck, controls rebounds and gets in front of the puck. So, when you look back, it’s calming. He’s in place, he makes the stop, he plays the puck well. So, when you’re watching from the bench and your teammates are watching your goalie, they see a sense of calmness back there and that’s a real good thing."

Scott has dominated the WHL this season posting a 23-2-1 record and .943 save percentage. He's even scored a goal. What does Portland centre Cody Glass notice? 

"Just how big he is," Glass said of the six-foot-three goalie. "The biggest thing is his size and he can get over to corners real quick."

A week ago today Scott, a fourth-round pick by the Maple Leafs in 2017, signed his entry-level contract with Toronto. A few hours later he learned he had made Canada's World Junior roster. So Scott is riding a wave of momentum right now and he expects that to carryover to the international stage.

"It’s huge just being able to have that same amount of confidence game in and game out," he said. "I think that translates into any game."

He's played for Canada before at the 2017 under-18 World Championship (.861 save percentage in four games, including the quarterfinal loss) and the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup (played just one game as DiPietro was the starter the rest of the way).

"Any time you can draw on international experience I think that will help coming into games like this," he said. "There’s a sense of comfort that I’ve played against international competition so that should help."

And even though the World Juniors will be the biggest stage of his career, Scott said it shouldn't feel too different than the WHL.

"I don’t think so," he insisted. "I think you still have to approach every game as if it’s just another game. Obviously, the stakes will be high, but that’s what the exhibition eases you in for so it’s a good chance to shake out any bugs and get used to it."

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Alexis Lafrenière has played almost exclusively on left wing in his young career so switching to the right in Wednesday's pre-competition opener was bound to be a challenge for Canada's youngest player. 

"It’s a little weird at the start," he admitted. 

Biggest change? 

"Breakouts," he said. "You’re not on the same side so it’s a bit harder, so it’s a little detail, but it makes a big difference. Just have to try and get better."

How did Hunter assess the 17-year-old Rimouski winger on Wednesday? 

"He showed lots of moments of being able to compete and play and he showed some young moments, but so did some other guys that are two years older than he is," the coach noted. 

Lafrenière will again start as a right winger tonight. 

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All things considered, things went pretty well for Jaret Anderson-Dolan on Wednesday night as the Spokane Chiefs forward played his first game since fracturing his wrist on Oct. 27. 

"It felt pretty good," he said. "I think I'm kind of still getting my rhythm back and my timing back, but for the first game in over a month it felt pretty good so just a building block and I'll get better from there."

Biggest adjustment? 

"I tried to just get into the physical part of it right away, throw a couple hits and take a couple hits early, which actually helped me get back into things. I think that’s the biggest thing when you’re coming back from injury, because you may be a bit tentative at first so I wanted to get that out of the way right away."

How's his wrist feeling on shots? 

"It’s inconsistent," he admitted. "I’ll have days where it feels great and then days that it’s weak. Yesterday after the game it felt a little bit weak, but during the game it felt great. So, I mean, it’s just day-by-day, see how it feels, but we’re doing everything we can to prepare for it, warming it up and trying to get my range of motion back."

Hunter will keep Anderson-Dolan on left wing for now, but hopes to shift him to centre at some point soon. 

"I've been trying to take some draws during practice," Anderson-Dolan noted, "and getting the feel for it back. I think once I get back into it it won’t take long to get there. I think the strength in my wrist is good enough to compete there. It’s just getting my timing back on it that will be the big thing."

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Prince Albert Raiders winger Brett Leason will miss a second straight game as he continues to work his way back from a hand injury. 

"We're going to give him a good skate today and really test his conditioning and test his hand under those conditions and see how it goes," said Hunter. 

Team Canada's projected lineup for Friday's game:

Forwards
Comtois-Glass-Tippett
AndersonDolan-Suzuki-Lafrenière
Frost-Hayton-Studnicka
Veleno-Bowers-Entwistle

Defencemen
Brook-Dobson
Phillips-Bouchard
Smith-Mitchell
McIsaac

Goaltenders
Scott starts 
DiPietro