Fresh off the their respective Five Nations Tournaments last week in Europe, the U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams will have a quiet week. There are two games on the docket this week for the U17s while the U18s will enjoy a bye week.

BACK TO THE USHL: After placing third at the Five Nations Tournament in Finland, the U17s return to United States Hockey League play this weekend. The squad will entertain the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Friday (Feb. 15) before heading to the Indiana Ice on Sunday (Feb. 17).

The U17s finished the Five Nations Tournament with a record of 2-0-1-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L). The squad dropped its opening two games, falling to Russia 4-3 in a shootout on Feb. 6, and then 4-3 against Sweden on Feb. 8. The U.S. closed out the Five Nations posting wins over the Czech Republic (8-2 on Feb. 9) and Finland (5-1 on Feb. 10).

Against Russia, Ryan MacInnis (St. Louis, Mo.) scored twice and Louis Belpedio (Skokie, Ill.) tallied once in regulation. Edwin Minney (Wind Gap, Pa.) kicked out 30 shots in net. Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y.) scored the lone goal for Team USA in the four-round shootout but Russia scored two shootout goals to claim the win.

Blake Weyrick (Ojai, Calif.) made 26 saves against Sweden. Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.), Seamus Malone (Naperville, Ill.) and Alex Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) collected the goals for Team USA.

Eichel collected a hat trick and Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) added two goals in the win over the Czech Republic. Ten players recorded at least a point as Ryan Hitchcock (Manhasset, N.Y.), Jack Glover (Golden Valley, Minn.) and Malone also scored goals. Minney finished with 13 saves in the win.

Tuch, Anders Bjork (Mequon, Wis.), Larkin, Milano and Hitchock each netted a goal in the win over Finland. Weyrick turned aside 24 shots for his first win at the Five Nations.

“We continued to play better as the tournament progressed," U17 head coach Danton Cole said after the game against Finland. “Although we had the ultimate goal of claiming the title, it was a great experience for the guys.”

A GOOD TIME FOR A BYE: The U18s will have a bye week after recording a 1-1-0-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record to place fourth at their Five Nations Tournament in Sweden. The squad returns to the ice on Feb. 20, at the Chicago Steel.

The U18s opened the Five Nations Tournament with a 4-2 loss to Finland on Feb. 6, before rebounding with a 5-1 win over the Czech Republic on Feb. 8. Russia posted a 4-3 win on Feb. 9, before Team USA closed out the tournament with a 3-2 overtime victory over Sweden on Feb. 10.

Against Finland, Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) tallied both goals for Team USA while Hunter Miska (North Branch, Minn.) made 18 saves in net.

J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.) paced the offense with two goals and an assist in the win over the Czech Republic. Tyler Motte (St. Clair, Mich.), Shane Eiserman (West Newbury, Mass.) and Sean Malone (West Seneca, N.Y.) also scored for Team USA, which outshot the Czech Republic 54-18. Evan Cowley (Evergreen, Colo.) kicked out 17 shots to earn the win.

Michael McCarron (Macomb, Mich.) tallied two goals and Compher had the other marker in the loss to Russia. Cowley made 13 stops in net.

Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) scored the overtime winner just 66 seconds into the extra session to help Team USA close out the Five Nations with a win over host Sweden. Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) and Compher scored in regulation while Cowley made 21 saves.

“We battled hard and showed a lot of character in the win,” U18 head coach Don Granato said after the Russia game. “This tournament will help serve as a learning experience as we fine tune our team heading into the final stages of the USHL season and the Under-18 World Championship in April.”

NOTEBOOK:
• Three former National Team Development Program players scored their first National Hockey League goals this past week.

Playing in his second NHL game, J.T. Miller (East Palestine, Ohio/2009-11) recorded his first (and second) NHL goal for the New York Rangers against the New York Islanders on Feb. 7.

Stefan Matteau (Chicago, Ill./2010-12), who made the New Jersey Devils roster out of training camp, tallied his first NHL goal in his seventh career game, a 3-1 win over Pittsburgh on Feb. 9.

Meanwhile Jordan Schroeder (Burnsville, Minn./2006-08), playing in his ninth NHL contest for the Vancouver Canucks, tallied a pair of goals, including the game-winner, in a 5-1 win over Calgary on Feb. 9.

• The U17s will see some familiar faces this week. Former NTDP forward Cameron Darcy (South Boston, Mass./2010-12) plays for the Muskegon Lumberjacks while former NTDP defenseman Joe Fiala (Verona, Wis./2009-11) is a member of the Indiana Ice. In addition, Indiana associate coach Matt Curley spent two seasons (2010-12) with the NTDP as an intern assistant coach.

• The U17s finished with a 12-0-1-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record in international play this season. The squad won the Four Nations Tournament in Switzerland in November, placed third at the World Under-17 Challenge in Quebec in early January and third in the Five Nations Tournament in Finland this past week.

• At the U17 Five Nations, Jack Eichel (4-2) and Ryan Hitchcock (2-4) paced the squad with six points each. Sonny Milano (1-4) ranked third with five points while Nolan Stevens (Manhattan Beach, Calif./0-4) was fourth with four points. Five players — Dylan Larkin (3-0), Anders Bjork (2-1), Alex Tuch (2-1), Seamus Malone (2-1) and Ryan Bliss (Bedford, N.H./0-3) — tied for fifth on the squad with three points each.

• In goal for the U17s, Blake Weyrick finished with a 1-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) mark, a 2.52 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. Teammate Edwin Minney was 1-0-1-0 with a 2.42 GAA and an .896 save percentage.

• At the U18 Five Nations, J.T. Compher tied for fourth in points in the tournament with five (4-1) and was second in goals scored (4). His five points led Team USA. Meanwhile, Tyler Kelleher tied for ninth with four points (2-2) while Michael McCarron (2-1) and Evan Allen (1-2) were among a plethora of players that tied for 15th in the tournament with three points each.

• In goal for the U18s at the Five Nations, Evan Cowley posted a 1-1-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record along with a 2.33 GAA and an .879 save percentage. His 2.33 GAA led all goalkeepers. Meanwhile, Hunter Miska was 0-0-0-1 with a 4.04 GAA and an .818 save percentage.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.