NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) scored one goal and added one assist, as the U.S. National Under-18 Team took out Merrimack College, 3-1, at Lawler Arena on Saturday, Dec. 8. The game was the first in a two-game mini-series against Hockey East competition.

Team USA found the back of the net first at 1:38 of the opening frame when Kelleher scored off an Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) feed. Michael McCarron (Macomb, Mich.) doubled the U.S. lead on the power play, burying the puck into the net at 19:13 of the period. Kelleher and Allen registered assists on the tally.

After a scoreless second stanza, the Warriors cut the Under-18 Team advantage in half, 2-1, on the power play at 4:58 of the third frame. Team USA responded with its own power-play marker, it’s second on the night, when Hudson Fasching (Burnsville, Minn.) potted a goal at 7:22. Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.) earned assists on the play.

Demko stopped 17 shots in the victory for Team USA, while Nick Drew, Sam Marotta and Rasmus Tirronen made a combined 31 saves in the loss for Merrimack College.

The following afternoon (Dec. 9), the U.S. faced top-ranked University of New Hampshire at Towse Rink in Durham, N.H. Demko turned aside 35 shots as the Under-18 Team tied the Wildcats, 2-2.

New Hampshire tallied the games’ first goal at 9:01 of the first frame to take a 1-0 lead. The Wildcats added to its advantage in the next frame to go up, 2-0, after two periods of play.

Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) netted a goal at 10:04 of the third stanza to slice the Wildcat lead in half. Kevin Labanc (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Steven Santini (Mahopac, N.Y.) assisted on the marker. Thirty-six seconds later, Tyler Motte (St. Clair, Mich.) knotted the game at two. John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn.) and J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.) collected assists on the tally. The third frame remained tied, 2-2, and after a scoreless five-minute overtime period, the game ended in a draw.

Demko made 35 saves on 37 shots for Team USA, while Jeff Wyer had 28 saves for New Hampshire.

The Under-18 team next turns its focus to the United States Hockey League as it travels to Dubuque and Cedar Rapids this weekend (Dec. 14-15). Friday’s game against the Fighting Saints is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. EST at the Mystique Ice Center, while Saturday’s tilt versus the RoughRiders starts at 8:05 p.m. EST at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.