Pereira in Bauer mask?

Not exactly related to the U21's competition on its own, but it also looks like Pereira is wearing a Bauer nme7 ice hockey mask. A lot like other Canadian goalkeepers before him, he's keeping up the tradition of wearing an ice hockey specific mask to protect against the highest and most powerful level of shots in the competitive game. Antoni Kindler wears an ice hockey mask, as did Mike Mahood before him (can't remember the name of the 'keeper who took over after Mahood retired right now for the life of me!). With them more readily available in Canada (obviously, ice hockey being the national sport!), it's no wonder they're a popular choice. Dave Carter wears an Obo mask which is obviously a Rey derivative, so on technical points still counts as an ice hockey mask! And they do provide great levels of protection, which is important with the speed of shots with the new artificial sticks and changes in game evolution; the only complaints being their weight with layered kevlar and giving you a hot head (not anger wise!) as ventilation isn't always great.

game photo

And a comparison with pictures of the unpainted mask, with the vent holes, cage design and curvature the same:

http://www.hockeyworldblog.com/2011/05/05/bauer-nme-7-nc-goalie-mask-review/

Pereira using new Obo chest pad

Another sighting is Canada's starter Kevin Pereira, wearing the new Obo chest pad. Kevin, who has also been involved with the full men's squad set-up recently, being around as a reserve goalkeeper for the World Cup qualifying tournament, is sponsored by TK as far as I know, so this is a ninja style sneaky observation. Obviously a lot of companies prefer to have their sponsees wearing all of their kit, but I really think they should stick with the bespoke approach as seen with Nick Brothers, George Pinner etc. so that the goalkeeper can still use equipment that fully corresponds to their own style of play, physioliogical differences, personal preferences and so on! The redesigned Obo chest pad has received good reviews, with a lot of the Australian internationals also using them, with its beefed up protection around the ribs and shoulders.

It's noticable here, by the padding protuding under the stylish tight fitting (not gym style though!) goalie top:

link