The road swing continues for the U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams. The U17s return to United States Hockey League action with two road contests while the U18s travel out to Massachusetts for a pair of games.

BACK TO USHL PLAY: The U.S. National Under-17 Team continues its road swing with a pair of games. The squad heads to the Indiana to face the Ice on Friday before traveling to play the Phantoms in Youngstown on Saturday.

The U17s are coming off a championship run at the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. The U17s posted a 4-0 win over Canada’s Team Pacific on Saturday to earn top honors and finish the Challenge with a perfect 6-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) mark. Luke Kirwan (Dewitt, N.Y.) scored a pair of goals, while Christian Fischer (Wayne, Ill.) and Colin White (Hanover, Mass.) had single tallies. Michael Lackey (Washington, D.C.) kicked out 19 shots to earn the win.

“This is such a fun group to work with,” head coach Don Granato said after the championship game. “We never lost focus throughout the tournament and continued to get better each game.”

In Friday’s semifinals, the U17s recorded a 9-1 win over Quebec. Nicholas Boka (Plymouth, Mich.), Matthew Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo.), and White each tallied a pair of goals to pace the offense. Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Jack Roslovic (Columbus, Ohio) and Michael Floodstrand (Hinsdale, Ill.) produced single tallies. Lackey stopped 19 shots to earn the victory.

In round-robin play, the U17s finished with a perfect 4-0-0-0 record to take top honors in Group B. After opening with a 5-1 win over Russia on Dec. 29, the U17s posted a 14-1 win over Germany in their second game on Dec. 30. Both Kirwan and Jordan Greenway (Potsdam, N.Y.) tallied hat tricks in the victory, while Kirwan also added two assists. White registered a pair of goals while Jeremy Bracco (Freeport, N.Y.), Charles McAvoy (Long Beach, N.Y.), Luke Kunin (Chesterfield, Mo.), Tkachuk, Christian Evers (Waukee, Iowa), and Dennis Yan (Troy, Mich.) added single tallies. Luke Opilka (St. Louis, Mo.) stopped 16 of 17 shots to earn the win.

White and Bracco each tallied a pair of goals to help propel the U17s to a 9-1 win over Atlantic on Dec. 31. In addition, Matthews, Kirwan, Kunin, Evers and Fischer added single tallies while Lackey stopped 20 of 21 shots to earn the win.

The U17s closed out round-robin play with a 6-2 victory over Ontario. White led the team offensively with a pair of goals while Matthews, Kirwan, Tkachuk, and Roslovic potted single tallies. Opilka finished with 22 stops between the pipes.

OUT TO MASS: The U.S. National Under-18 Team heads out to the East Coast for a pair of games. The U18s will face the United States Premier Hockey League’s New Jersey Hitmen on Saturday at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, Mass. On Sunday, the squad travels to Amherst, Mass., to meet the University of Massachusetts at the Mullins Memorial Center.

The U18s opened last week with a 4-2 win at Miami University on Tuesday. Anders Bjork (Mequon, Wis.) tallied a pair of goals, including the game-winner to pace the offense. Alex Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) and Ryan Hitchcock (Manhasset, N.Y.) scored the other markers. Blake Weywrick (Ojai, Calif.) and Edwin Minney (Wind Gap, Pa.) split time in net and combined for 27 saves.

However, the U18s were then swept in a pair of road games, falling at the University of Minnesota Duluth by a 7-0 count on Friday before dropping an 8-0 decision at St. Cloud State University on Saturday.

“This past weekend highlighted some items we need to work on as a team,” head coach Danton Cole said. “We will go back to work on our defensive zone coverage and our transitions, both from offense to defense and defense to offense. It’s something we will concentrate on this week before heading out East for two games.”
 
NTDP IN THE OLYMPICS: Nine former National Team Development Program players were selected to the 2014 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team. They are forwards Patrick Kane (Buffalo, N.Y./2004-06), Ryan Kesler (Livonia, Mich./2000-02), Phil Kessel (Madison, Wis./2003-05) and James van Riemsdyk (Middletown, N.J./2005-07); defensemen Justin Faulk (South St. Paul, Minn./2008-10), Cam Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich./2007-09), Kevin Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, N.Y./2005-07) and Ryan Suter (Madison, Wis./2003-05), and goaltender Jimmy Howard (Ogdensburg, N.Y./2001-02).

It marks the second consecutive Olympics for Kane, Kesler, Kessel and Suter, who earned silver medals in 2010.

(Cover photo courtesy of Derek Leung/Hockey Canada Images)

• Colin White, Noah Hanifin (Norwood, Mass.) and Michael Lackey were selected to the World U17 Challenge tournament all-star team.
• Team USA has captured first place four times (2001, 2002, 2010 and 2014) at the U17 Challenge. The U.S. has placed in the top three for eight consecutive years, starting in 2006 (no tournament was held in 2007).
• Colin White led all skaters in the U17 Challenge with 18 points (10-8) in six games. Luke Kirwan ranked second with 13 points (7-6), while Jeremy Bracco tied for fourth with 11 (3-8). Auston Matthews finished ninth with eight points (4-4).
• The U17s carry a 21-11-0 (W-L-OTL) record into this week’s action.
• Former NTDP forward Frankie Vatrano (East Longmeadow, Mass./2010-12) currently plays for UMass. Vatrano was a member of the U.S. National Under-18 Team that won a gold medal at the 2012 IIHF World Men's U18 Championship.
• Justin Florek (Marquette, Mich.), who played for the NTDP from 2006-08, made his National Hockey League debut for the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Florek played 10:14 and had one shot and two hits.
• The U18s bring a record of 19-10-1 (W-L-OTL), including a 5-7-0 mark against NCAA competition, into this week’s action.
• The U18s are paced by Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y./14-32), who has 46 points in 28 games. Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass./19-20) ranks second with 39 points, while Alex Tuch (20-17) is third with 37 points. Ryan Hitchcock (6-21) is fourth with 27 points, while Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich./15-11) is fifth with 26 points.
• In goal for the U18s, Edwin Minney holds a 10-6-1 record along with a 2.99 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage.  Blake Weyrick is 4-2-0 with a 2.80 GAA and an .896 save percentage.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.