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(December 5, 2005)

Canadians Christopher Mabee and Ben Ferreira finished off the 2005 NHK Trophy on a high note.

Mabee and Ferreira, who had been ninth and 10th, respectively, after the short program, moved up to place fourth and fifth in the free skate, earning a fourth-place finish overall for Mabee and a sixth-place finish for Ferreira.

In the process of earning a fourth-place finish, Mabee was also awarded a personal best score of 171.65.

Mabee opened his free program with a strong triple loop and followed that up with a triple Axel. The 20-year-old from Tillsonburg, Ont. also completed an impressive triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination, as well as another triple Lutz later in the program and a triple Salchow.

Mabee was pleased with his performance.

“It is definitely a confidence booster,” he said. “We have a couple of things we have to work out, but it is a step in the right direction.”

Mabee scored 117.10 points for his free skate, also a personal best.

Ferreira also skated a strong program. He got off to a good start with a triple Axel-double toe loop combination, followed by a triple toe loop and a triple flip. Although Ferreira fell on his second attempt at a triple Axel, he landed a triple Lutz, triple loop and a triple Salchow, as well as a triple Lutz-double toe loop-double toe loop combination later on in the program.

Ferreira’s score of 115.62 for his free skate gave him an overall total of 169.72 points.

Japan’s Nobunari Oda, the 2005 world junior champion who won the bronze medal at the 2005 MasterCard Skate Canada International earlier this year, was second in both the short program and the free skate to win his first ISU Grand Prix gold medal. He earned a total of 216.39 points.

American and 2005 world bronze medallist Evan Lysacek was third in the short program and first in the free skate to win the silver medal with 213.55 points, while Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi was third with a score of 205.30.

Next up on the ISU Grand Prix schedule is the ISU Grand Prix Final, to be held Dec. 16-18 in Tokyo, Japan.