DUBUQUE, Iowa - Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) registered two assists, as the U.S. National Under-18 Team was toppled, 5-2, by the Dubuque Fighting Saints on Dec. 13, 2012. The game was the first of two United States Hockey League matchups in Iowa for Team USA over the weekend.

Dubuque opened scoring at 10:25 of the first period. Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) sniped a sharp-angle shot into the net at 13:32 to knot the game, 1-1. Kelleher collected his first assist on the play. Less than a minute later, the Fighting Saints regained the lead, netting a power-play goal to send the U.S. to the locker room, down 2-1.

Former National Team Development Program forward, Shane Sooth (Canyon Country, Calif./2008-09), scored at 3:20 of the second stanza to give Dubuque a 3-1 advantage. Sooth would finish the game with one goal and three assists. The Fighting Saints would strike again at 10:30, this time on the power play, before Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) closed the gap back to two with four seconds remaining in the period. Kelleher registered his second assist on Louis' marker.

Dubuque's third power-play tally at 14:09 of the final frame put the U.S. down, 5-2. Team USA outshot the Fighting Saints, 8-6, in the third period but could not make up the difference and fell in its first game of the weekend.

Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.) turned aside 23 shots in the loss, while Dubuque's Connor Girard made 20 of 22 saves in the victory.

The following night (Dec. 15), the Under-18 Team met with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Hunter Miska (North Branch, Minn.) made 26 saves, as the U.S. earned a point in a 3-2 shootout loss at the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Ice Arena.

The RoughRiders notched the lone goal of the first period at 18:41. The shorthanded tally put the U.S. at a 1-0 disadvantage heading into first intermission.

Dawson Cook (Cadillac, Mich.) evened the score at 9:58 of the middle frame, but Cedar Rapids answered at 16:13 to regain the lead.

Down one goal, Team USA looked to even the tilt and did so at 13:23 on the power play. Shane Eiserman (West Newbury, Mass.) potted the goal with assists going to John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn.) and Steven Santini (Mahopac, N.Y.). The U.S. outshot its opponent, 10-8, in the third looking for the game-winner, but after 60 minutes the game remained tied.

After a scoreless overtime, the game would be decided in a shootout. The RoughRiders netted a goal in the first round and Chris Birdsall turned away all three U.S. shooters to preserve the win. The Cedar Rapids netminder made 28 saves total in the shootout win.

The U.S. National Under-18 now turns its focus to a Tuesday, Dec. 18 matchup with the Indiana Ice at home. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST at the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Ice Cube. Tickets are available by calling (734) 327-9251 or by visiting 2121 Oak Valley Drive in Ann Arbor.

1st Star
Dubuque Fighting Saints
Shane Sooth, forward (1 goal, 3 assists)

2nd Star
Dubuque Fighting Saints
Peter Quenneville, forward (2 goals, 1 assist)

3rd Star
Dubuque Fighting Saints
Mike Szmatula, forward (1 goal, 3 assists)

1st Star
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Dylan Steman, forward (shootout winner)

2nd Star
Under-18 Team
Shane Eiserman, forward (1 goal)

3rd Star
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Chris Birdsall, goalie (28 saves)