LINCOLN, Neb. - Four different players scored on special teams, as the U.S. National Under-18 Team powered past the Lincoln Stars, 5-3, on Feb. 22, at the Lincoln Ice Box. With the win, the U18s improved its record against United States Hockey League opponents to 13-4-2 (W-L-OTL).
The Stars tallied the first goal of the contest at 10:16 of the opening period. The power-play tally was countered by the U.S. at 13:50 when John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn.) found the back of the net. Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) picked up the lone assist on the power-play marker. Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.) gave Team USA a 2-1 lead, potting a goal at 18:10. Sean Malone (West Seneca, N.Y.) collected an assist on the play.
Team USA notched its second goal with the man advantage at 3:03 of the second stanza. Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) lit the lamp for the U.S., who took a 3-1 lead. A short-handed strike by Dawson Cook (Cadillac, Mich.) gave the U18s a three-goal cushion at 9:09. The Stars answered with a short-handed tally of its own with less than a minute remaining in the period, but Keaton Thompson (Devils Lake, N.D.) scored on the power play at 19:55 to regain the three-goal lead for Team USA, 5-2.
Lincoln netted its second short-handed goal at 19:03 of the final frame, but Team USA proved to be too far ahead and skated away with a 5-3 victory.
Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.) played the first two periods for the U.S., making 14 saves on 16 shots. Blake Weyrick (Ojai, Calif.) relieved Demko in the third and turned away 10 shots. Jackson Teichroeb and Michael Bitzer combined to stop 35 shots in the loss for Lincoln.
The U.S. National Under-17 Team will next face the University of Nebraska Omaha tomorrow (Feb. 23) at the CenturyLink Center. The game was originally scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 21, but was postponed due to inclement weather.
Three Stars of the Game
1st Star
U.S. National Under-18 Team
John Hayden, forward (1 goal)
2nd Star
U.S. National Under-18 Team
Sean Malone, forward (1 assist)
3rd Star
Lincoln Stars
Philip Marinaccio, forward (2 goals)