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USHL Matchups Features Holiday Rivalry Game

By usahockeyntdp.com, 01/12/17, 12:00PM EST

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USA Hockey National Team Development Program Notebook

Photo by Rena Laverty

NTDP Notebook Week of Dec. Jan. 9-15

The U.S. National Under-18 Team returns to USA Hockey Arena for a pair of matchups with the Green Bay Gamblers on Friday (Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. ET) and Saturday (Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. ET). 

The U18s are coming off their final collegiate road trip last week where they secured the first victory against the University of Maine in program history on Friday (Jan. 6) night. On Saturday, they fell to the University of New England in a 5-2 decision at Harold Alfond Forum.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team splits their weekend with a road trip to Chicago to take on the Steel at 8:05 p.m. ET Saturday before returning to USA Hockey Arena for a USHL rivalry matchup with Muskegon at 2 p.m. on Martin Luther King Day (Jan.. 16).

Like the U18s, the U17s split their matchups last weekend at USA Hockey Arena. On Friday, the U17s fell to the Chicago Steel, 8-3. The Under-17 Team bounced back on Saturday, securing a 1-0 shutout victory against the Youngstown Phantoms. 

U17s Matchup

Saturday @ Chicago Steel

Puck Drop: 8:05 p.m. ET

Stream: HockeyTv.com

Live Stats

Tickets

Monday vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks

Puck Drop: 2 p.m. ET

Stream: HockeyTv.com

Live Stats

Tickets

U18s Matchups

Friday vs. Green Bay Gamblers

Puck Drop: 7 p.m. ET

Stream: HockeyTv.com

Live Stats

Tickets

Saturday vs. Green Bay Gamblers

Puck Drop: 7 p.m. ET

Stream: HockeyTv.com

Live Stats

Tickets

Matchup Previews

GRABBING THE GAMBLERS: Green Bay comes into this weekend's matchups with the U18s at 17-12-2-1, good for 37 points and battling Youngstown and Muskegon for the final two playoff positions in the USHL Eastern Conference. The top four teams in each conference make the USHL Clark Cup playoffs.

Jared Spooner leads the Gamblers offensively with 26 points (11-15-26) so far this season. Rourke Russell has defended the blueline, posting a +8 plus-minus rating while playing in all 32 Gamblers contests this season.

Maxim Zhukov (11-5-1-1, 2.19 GAA, .911 SV%) and David Hrenak (6-7-1-0, 2.50 GAA, .914 SV%) have split time in net this season. Zhukov has recorded two shutouts this season while Hrenak has secured one.

REMATCH WITH THE STEEL: The U17s will be looking for revenge on Saturday night when they travel to Fox Valley Ice Arena to take on the first-ranked Chicago Steel following a 8-3 loss on home ice last Friday evening. 

The Steel still sit atop the Eastern Conference with a record of 21-6-1-0. Chicago is 6-2-0-2 over its past 10 games. 

On Tuesday, three Steel Players Walker Duehr, Corson Green and Brandon McManus played in the 2017 USHL Top Prospects Game at the Denny Sandord PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

HOLIDAY #USHLRIVALS MATCHUP: The U17s return to USA Hockey Arena on Monday for a 2 p.m. matinee matchup with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. This game marks the fourth matchup with the 'Jacks this season for the U17s and sixth matchup overall for the combined Team USA.

The U17s last matchup with Muskegon came on Dec. 30 when they traveled to L.C. Walker Arena and fell to 'Jacks 3-1.

Keith Petruzelli (11-6-0-0) has continued to lead Muskegon between the pipes, recording a 2.58 goals-against-average and .912 save-percentage. 

Collin Adams (17-14-31, 1.11 PPG) and Andrei Svechnikov (12-16-28, 1.27 PPG) lead the 'Jacks attack.

Notes

BROTHERLY LOVE: One of the more recognizable names on the Gamblers roster is forward Jason Dhooghe, the brother of U18s forward Sean Dhooghe (Aurora, Ill.). The brothers will square off in a pair of games Friday and Saturday.

MAKING THE CONNECTION: Twenty-two of the players who helped the United States win a gold medal at the recent World Junior Championships skated last August at the National Junior Evaluation Camp at USA Hockey Arena.

Nine players that current U.S. National Under-17 head coach Danton Cole coached with the U18s in 2015-16 made their mark at World Juniors, including Kieffer Bellows, Clayton Keller, Charlie McAvoy, Jordan Greenway and Adam Fox. Following Team USA’s come-from-behind 5-4 shootout win over Canada to win the gold medal on Jan. 5, all of those players and more exchanged texts with Cole.

“We spend a lot of time with those guys and then they leave and they go and do great things," Cole told Hometownlife.com. "It’s fun to watch them and see them succeed. It makes you feel good about all the work people do here to put them in that position. We’re proud of what they’ve done, and we had a lot of guys who came through here. It’s a big win for USA Hockey as a whole.

FARABEE AMONG ROOKIE SCORING LEADERS: U17s forward Joel Farabee (Cicero, N.Y.) is tied for fourth in points-per-game (.71) among USHL rookie skaters. He has recorded five goals and five assists through 14 games this season. His teammate Oliver Wahlstrom (Quincy, Mass.) is tied for ninth with .50 points-per-game.

WARSOFSKY NAMED AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: NTDP alum David Warsofsky (2007-08, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins) was named the American Hockey League's Player of the Week after leading the Penguins to four consecutive wins with two goals, five assists and a plus-minus rating of +6 last week.

SEVEN ALUMS TO COMPETE IN NHL ALL-STAR GAME : Seven former members of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program have been named to the National Hockey League All-Star Game rosters. The skills competition will take place Jan. 28, and the game will be the following day (Jan. 29) in Los Angeles.

Auston Matthews (2013-15, Toronto Maple Leafs), who is currently tied for first among NHL rookies in goals (21), will be the lone NTDP alum on the Atlantic Division team. 

The Metropolitan Division team will feature defensemen Justin Faulk (2008-10, Carolina Hurricanes) and Seth Jones (2010-12, Columbus Blue Jackets), while Patrick Kane (2004-06, Chicago Blackhawks) and Ryan Suter (2001-03, Minnesota Wild) will represent the Central Division. Finally, Ryan Kesler (2000-02) and Cam Fowler (2007-09) of the Anaheim Ducks will play for the Pacific Division.

PROMO NIGHTS AT USA HOCKEY ARENA: The NTDP will host several promotional nights at USA Hockey Arena in January:

  • Friday, January 13: Mascot Madness
  • Saturday, January 14: Soccer Night
  • Monday, January 16: Skate with the Team
  • Saturday, January 21: Margaritaville Night
  • Friday, January 27: Teacher Appreciation Night
  • Saturday, January 28: Star Wars Night

Tickets for all these games are available here.

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