Under-17 Team Blanked by Dubuque in Rematch Sunday Afternoon

USA Hockey National Team Development Program

Under-17 Team Blanked by Dubuque in Rematch Sunday Afternoon

By USA Hockey, 01/27/13, 7:00PM EST

Dubuque netminder Connor Girard makes a stop on a diving Sonny Milano. Photo by Tom Sorensen.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Edwin Minney (Wind Gap, Pa.) made 38 saves, but the U.S. National Under-17 Team was blanked by the Dubuque Fighting Saints, 5-0, on Jan. 27, at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

Anders Bjork fights off a check by a Dubuque skater. Photo by Tom Sorensen.

The Fighting Saints tallied the first goal of the contest at 4:50 of the opening frame, converting on a U.S. turnover in the defensive zone. Team USA put eight shots on Dubuque netminder Connor Girard, but couldn't find the equalizer after 20 minutes of play.

Dubuque netted three second stanza goals to go up, 4-0, on the Under-17 Team. Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y.) came closest to putting the U.S. on the board, when he backhanded a shot top shelf, just missing the corner of the net.

A marker at 12:18 of the third frame gave the Fighting Saints a commanding 5-0 lead over Team USA. The U.S. had nine shots in the period, but again were thwarted by Girard who picked up the 23-save shutout.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team next turns its focus to the 2013 Five Nations Under-17 Tournament in Jarvanpaa, Finland. Team USA will take on squads from the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden from Feb. 6-10. Full coverage will be provided on www.usantdp.com.