ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) scored two goals and eleven different players registered a point, as the U.S. National Under-18 Team bested the Youngstown Phantoms in its United States Hockey League regular season opener tonight at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

Larkin opened the scoring early, sliding a puck through Youngstown goaltender Jake Moore’s pads at 1:09 of the first frame. Ryan Hitchcock (Manhasset, N.Y.) and Anders Bjork (Mequon, Wis.) assisted on the play. Seven minutes later, Larkin lit the lamp once more when he cleaned up a rebound in front of the net. Hitchcock and Ryan Bliss (Chelmsford, Mass.) recorded helpers on the play. Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.) gave the U.S. a 3-0 lead at the 13:33 mark when he corralled a loose puck from behind the net to bury it top shelf.

Youngstown answered quickly at the 14:10 mark, but Team USA held onto a 3-1 lead heading into the first intermission.

The Phantoms pulled within one tally just 1:40 into the second stanza, scoring on the power play.

Dylan Pavelek (Marysville, Mich.) answered at 5:48, intercepting a long pass attempt to create a partial breakaway. He snapped a shot high over Moore’s blocker to finish the play. Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y.) scored a power-play goal of his own at 8:55, swatting the puck out of mid-air just under the crossbar.

Bjork increased the U.S. advantage, 6-2, at 12:24. Eichel skated the puck into the left faceoff circle, leaving a drop pass for Hitchcock. Hitchcock found Bjork streaking down the middle of the ice and Bjork rifled the puck past Moore. Ryan Wagner (Park Ridge, Ill.) capped the second period scoring with a short-handed marker at 18:27.

In the final frame, Youngstown scored its third goal of the game at 2:29 before Joe Wegwerth (Brewster, N.Y.) pushed the U.S. lead back to five scores. When Team USA dumped the puck into Youngstown’s zone, Moore came out to handle the puck. Wegwerth applied heavy pressure on Moore and gained possession of the puck, sliding it into an open net. Shane Gersich (Chaska, Minn.) capped the scoring at 15:06, burying a one-timer on the backdoor step.

The U.S. National Under-18 Team next faces the Indiana Ice tomorrow (Sept. 21) at 7:00 p.m. ET. The game is played as part of a USHL doubleheader at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube, as the U.S. National Under-17 Team squares off with the Phantoms at 3:30 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on FASTHockey.com.

Team USA outshot the Phantoms, 38-30 ... The Youngstown roster features several connections to Team USA, including defensemen Alex Carle and Matt Miller, who both have older brothers who skated for the National Team Development Program: Matt Carle (Anchorage, Alaska/2000-02) and J.T. Miller (East Palestine, Ohio, 2009-11). Additionally, forwards Blake Christensen and Kiefer Sherwood spent time with the U.S. National Under-18 Team in 2012-13 ... Download the Sport Ngin Mobile App for Apple iOS and Android devices and follow the U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams. Fans, parents, athletes and coaches now have unprecedented access to scores, stats, schedules, photos and more. The app is free and allows users to track scores and news updates from one team. Those wishing to follow more than one team can make a simple in-app purchase of $1.99. Click here to download the app.

1st Star
U.S. National Under-18 Team
Dylan Larkin (2 goals)

2nd Star
U.S. National Under-18 Team
Shane Gersich (1 goal, 2 assists)

3rd Star
U.S. National Under-18 Team
Jack Eichel (1 goal, 2 assists)