BACK ON JACK: U18 goaltender Jack Parsons (Ithaca, N.Y.) took the unfortunate shootout loss in the Under-18 Team's 3-2 loss to Niagara last week, but the goaltender tunred in one of his most impressive outings of the campaign.

Parsons turned away 24 shots from the Purple Eagles, including an onslaught in the back-half of the middle period to keep Team USA tied until late in the game.

The appearance marked the third time this season that Parsons had surrendered just two or fewer goals while playing a complete game in net, and the first time since a 6-2 win over Omaha on December 1.

The Providence College commit's .923 SV% mark was the third-best of any game this season.

POTTER POTS: U17 forward Cullen Potter (Minneapolis, Minn.) found the back of the net in both ends of the home-and-home set with Youngstown last weekend, extending his point streak to three games.

The Michigan State University commit scored the lone U17 goal in each game against the Phantoms, bringing his season total to eight goals and 26 overall points in 35 games played.

The eight tallies ranks seventh on the team in goals scored while his 26 points pushed him to t-4th on the team list in scoring. Potter has been active getting pucks on net as he has registered 11 shots on goal over the past four games, and his 70 SOG leads the Under-17 Team this season.

ROW THE BOET: U17 netminder Harrison Boettiger (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) turned in one of his best performances of the season in Friday's 2-1 loss to Youngstown.

Boettiger turned aside 26 of 28 Phantoms shots he saw and helped leave Youngstown scoreless on three power-play opportunities.

The .929 single-game save percentage was the netminder's second-highest in a game where he played the entirety this season, behind only his 29-save shutout against Madison back on October 27 at USA Hockey Arena.

Boettiger's impressive night improved his season-long numbers to a 3.66 GAA and .878 SV%. His seven wins in net leads the Under-17 Team.

INTERNATIONAL PREVIEW: The Under-17 Team is off this week as it prepares for its first Five Nations tournament as a team. The U17s depart Sunday evening as they head to Ostrava, Czech Republic to take on Finland (Wed.), Sweden (Fri.), Switzerland (Sat.) and host Czechia (Sun.).

The group of 2007-born players has had success at the international level so far this season. The squad took second place in the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Charlottetown and Summerside, Prince Edward Island in November, falling to Canada White in overtime in the championship game.

They also took a European tour in December, playing four games against three U20 teams in Switzerland and Germany, winning all four contests by a combined 29-9 margin.

The Five Nations will be the final international competition for the U17s this season.

U18 FIVE NATIONS: USA Hockey Arena is proud to host the 2024 U18 Five Nations Tournament, taking place from February 6-10, in Plymouth, Michigan.

The best hockey players under the age of 18 from the United States, Czechia, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland will all compete in a round-robin style schedule, facing off against all other teams throughout the week.

All tickets for the Five Nations will be sold as day passes - one ticket provides entry to both games on a given day. Tickets for all five days of the tournament are on sale now and fans can purchase by online at USAHockeyArena.com/fivenations, visiting the USA Hockey Arena box office in person or by calling 734-453-8400!

Friday and Saturday are promotion nights at USA Hockey Arena. The first 500 fans into the building on Friday will receive an exclusive 2024 U18 Five Nations t-shirt giveaway, while Saturday's game will feature an American flag giveaway to help cheer on Team USA!

This tournament will be Team USA's final international competition prior to the 2024 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship, set to be played in April in Espoo, Finland.