Music: {allcanada} CANADA'S PHANEUF LEADS AFTER SHORT PROGRAM AT SKATE CANADA

KINGSTON, Ont. - The quad jump made all the difference to Canada's men's skaters at Skate Canada International on Friday.

Canadian Kevin Reynolds became the first man in history to execute two quads in a short program en route to finishing second, while teammate Patrick Chan fell on his first attempt at the four-revolution jump in international competition and wound up fourth.

The 20-year-old Reynolds, from Coquitlam, B.C., took advantage of a new International Skating Union rule implemented this season to pen his name in the history books. The rule allows skaters to have two quads in the short program. Reynolds landed a quad Salchow in a combination and a quad toe loop to score 80.09 points.

Nobunari Oda of Japan skated a flawless performance, but without a quad, to finish first with 81.37 points, while Adam Rippon of the U.S. was third with 77.53.

Chan fell on his quad toe loop attempt to open the program and lost his focus from that point on at the K-Rock Centre, falling twice more -- on a triple Axel and his step sequence -- to score 73.20. The three falls cost the two-time world silver medallist more than 12 points.

Canada's Cynthia Phaneuf, the top-ranked Canadian woman here in the absence of Olympic bronze medallist Joannie Rochette, scored 58.24 points to win the women's short program. She said she's perfectly comfortable carrying Canada's flag for the women.

"My job is the same (with or without Rochette), but for sure it's a pleasure for me to be the first Canadian and be proud to go out there and know I'm the top lady," Phaneuf said. "For me it's an honour to have that title and just do my job knowing I'm the one that has to lead."

Rochette, who skated her way onto the podium at the Vancouver Olympics days after her mother's death, is skipping the Grand Prix season as she contemplates her competitive future.

Ksenia Makarova of Russia was second in the short program in the 11-skater field with 57.90 points while American Agnes Zawadzki was third with 56.29.

The 22-year-old Phaneuf, from Brossard, Que., who skated a clean program Friday that included two triple jumps, was at one time Canada's top woman with a ton of promise packed into her slender five-foot-three frame. She rocketed to the top of the podium at the Canadian championships when she was just 15, upsetting six-time Canadian champion Jennifer Robinson, and went on to win Skate Canada and finish second at Skate America.

But her fall was nearly as swift as her meteoric rise. Stress fractures to her ankle and hip kept her off skates for nearly a year. A growth spurt during that time saw her grow four inches and she struggled in her new, larger body, having to learn to jump and spin all over again.

After skating in the shadows of six-time Canadian champion Rochette, Phaneuf finally re-emerged as an international contender at the world championships in Turin in March, finishing fifth, 10 spots better than her previous best world finish.

"Everything is easier," explained her coach Annie Barabe. "Two years ago everything was hard for her, coming back from where she was. Now we never talk about before, we talk ahead. Two years ago, we were like, 'OK, before I could do this, before I could do that.' Before is over. Now it's the future."

Like Rochette however, the future is unclear. Phaneuf hasn't committed to skating another four seasons to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and will make her decision season by season.

Rochette could still compete in the Canadian championships in January, which would make her eligible for the world championships in Tokyo, but it's unlikely. She's expected to sign a contract in the coming days with "Stars On Ice," and the dates clash with the Canadian championships.

Russia's Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Maisuradze won the pairs short program with a score of 60.72 points. Americans Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir were second with 56.34, while Paige Lawrence of Kennedy, Sask., and Rudi Swiegers of Virden, Man., were third with 56.14.

New Canadian duo Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., were fourth, losing key points when Duhamel doubled a planned triple Lutz.

Duhamel, third at the 2010 Canadian championships with former partner Craig Buntin, had planned to call it quits last season when Buntin retired. She'd been plagued by several injuries including a bulging disc in her back and nerve damage in her leg. She had a change of heart after taking a few weeks off.

"I didn't even know if I would make it to the end of last season, let alone continue to dedicate myself another four years," Duhamel said. "But when I thought of not skating, when it came down to it, and I didn't have to skate anymore, I thought, 'Well, that's all I want to do."'

Skate Canada is the second of six stops on the ISU Grand Prix circuit.