After six consecutive road games, the U.S. National Under-17 Team finally returns home to Ann Arbor, Mich., this week to close out the United States Hockey League regular season with two games at the Ice Cube. Team USA holds combined 28-25-5 (W-L-OTL) record in USHL play, currently sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. The U.S. National Under-18 Team is off this weekend.

HOME SWEET HOME: The U.S. National Under-17 Team closes out its USHL regular-season schedule as it hosts the Sioux City Muskateers on Friday and the Dubuque Fighting Saints on Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT both nights.

“It’s nice to return home and close out the season with two home games,” said Don Granato, head coach of the U17s. Granato's squad boasts an overall record of 29-20-4 (W-L-OTL). “It has been a difficult stretch with six straight road games, but our team continues to battle and work hard each night. We will continue to work on different areas of our game and get ready for two difficult opponents this weekend.”

The U17s earned one point in two USHL games on the weekend. The squad fell, 6-5, in a shootout loss at Chicago on Friday before dropping a 4-1 decision at Green Bay on Saturday.

Against Chicago, Nicholas Boka (Plymouth, Mich.), Jeremy Bracco (Freeport, N.Y.), Ryan Wagner (Park Ridge, Ill.), Jordan Greenway (Potsdam, N.Y.) and Luke Kirwan (DeWitt, N.Y.) scored the goals. Michael Lackey (Washington, D.C.) finished with 27 stops in net.

Boka had the lone tally against Green Bay. Meanwhile, Luke Opilka (St. Louis, Mo.) finished with 13 saves.

BYE WEEK: The U.S. National Under-18 Team will enjoy a bye week as it begins preparations for the 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championships, set to start April 17 in Laappenranta, Finland.

“The good thing about the USHL and our record is that we have had a bunch of challenges,” said head coach Danton Cole, whose Under-18 Team finished its season with a 16-3 record in its final 19 games. “At the end of the season, the teams we have faced were fighting for the playoffs. They were desperate teams, and it made the games more honest. That is what we are going to face when we go to Finland.

“I thought our guys matched intensity very well. Winning is a good habit, and I want our guys to keep that hunger. We want to refine the things we do and keep working on some different areas. Hopefully, we are peaking at the right time.”

The U18s posted a pair of shootout wins last weekend, beating Omaha 5-4 on Saturday and Muskegon 4-3 on Sunday.

Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) scored two goals, including the shootout winner in the seventh round, against Omaha. Shane Gersich (Chaska, Minn.), Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.), and Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y.) also registered goals. Edwin Minney (Wind Gap, Pa.) finished with 19 stops.

In the win over Muskegon, Milano added two goals while Louie Belpedio (Skokie, Ill.) had the other tally. In the shootout, Eichel and Ryan Hitchcock (Manhasset, N.Y.) scored to clinch the victory. Minney finished with 29 stops.

The U18s carry an overall record of 36-15-2 (W-L-OTL) into the bye week.

• Tickets for Team USA home games are $7 for adults and $5 for children, seniors and active military members. Youth hockey players wearing their team jerseys are admitted for $1. Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling the NTDP at (734) 327-9251.
• It will be Baseball Night at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube on Friday, April 4. Fans attending the game will have an opportunity to take pictures with and get autographs from the official mascot of the Detroit Tigers, Paws, and the FOX Sports Detroit Girls. Additionally, giveaways will be held throughout the night with prizes including “Nothing Stops Detroit” bracelets, t-shirts, hats and tickets to a Detroit Tigers home game.
• The U18s will face Adrian College on Dec. 31, 2014, in an outdoor game at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio. The game, play in conjunction with Winterfest 2014, marks the first outdoor game played by any team from the NTDP.
• There will be some familiar faces in Ann Arbor this weekend as four former players will play in a opposing uniform. Sioux City has two NTDP alumni: Nikolas Olsson (Escondido, Calif./2010-12) and Collin Olson (Apple Valley, Minn./2010-12). Dubuque’s roster features former NTDP players in Alexx Privitea (Old Tappan, N.J./2009-10) and Shane Eiserman (West Newbury, Mass./2012-13).
• Dating back to Feb. 14, Luke Kirwan has 12 points (4-8) in his last 10 UHSL games.
• Jeremy Bracco (16-55) paces the U17s with 71 points. Colin White (Hanover, Mass./32-31) is second with 63 points, while Luke Kirwan (27-28) is third with 55 points. Jordan Greenway (16-22) and Christian Fischer (Wayne, Ill./15-23) round out the top five scores with 38 points each.
• Michael Lackey and Luke Opilka split time in net for the U17s. Lackey is 14-11-2 with a 3.51 goals-against average and an .869 save percentage. Opilka is 15-9-1 with a 3.64 GAA and an .864 save percentage.
• U18 netminder Edwin Minney appeared in his 71st career game with the NTDP on Sunday, moving him past Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich./2008-10) for eighth all-time.
• Jack Eichel ranks seventh on the NTDP career points list with 127.
• Jack Eichel (33-42) leads the U18s with 75 points, while Sonny Milano (24-49) is second with 73 points. Alex Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y./28-32) ranks third with 60 points. Rounding out the top-five are Dylan Larkin (29-20), who is fourth with 49 points, and Ryan Hitchcock (9-34), with 43 points.
• In net, Edwin Minney and Blake Weyrick have split time. Minney is 21-9-1 with a 2.75 GAA and an .898 save percentage. Weyrick is 10-4-1 with a 2.80 GAA and an .888 save percentage.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.