DARKEST BEFORE THE DON: U18 defenseman Donny Bracco (Freeport, N.Y.) has nine points in his last nine games, dating back to January 11, where he picked up a goal and an assist in a 7-5 win over Tri-City. Since then, the Harvard University commit has added two goals and five assists, with one of each coming in last weekend's 6-4 win over Bowling Green State University.

The goal came first, bringing Team USA a lead it would not relinquish. Just over two minutes into the second, he finished a slick wraparound score off a play from  Mikey Berchild (Minnetonka, Minn.) and Jacob Kvasnicka (Wayzata, Minn.). His assist came early in the final frame as he left the puck for Jack Murtagh (East Greenbush, N.Y.) in the U.S. defensive zone, where the forward picked it up and took it the length of the ice to make it a 5-2 game.

The U18s are 6-3 in the run, and undefeated in Bracco's four multi-point games. With the hot streak, the his 15 assists lead U18 blueliners and 18 points are tied for first with Drew Schock (Green Bay, Wis.).

FILTHY FONZ: U18 forward Conrad Fondrk (White Bear Lake, Minn.) scored twice in his return to play on Friday night (Feb. 14) after missing over a month of action. The pair brings his season total to nine, with 12 assists for 21 points in 36 games.

The future Boston University Terrier scored with less than two minutes to play in the second, accepting a bouncing puck from  LJ Mooney (West Mifflin, Pa.) and sending a shot short-side to make it a 4-2 game. Fondrk added empty netter late in the third en route to the 6-4 final for his sixth multi-point game of the season and the sixth straight win for the '07 group with Fondrk in the lineup.

MIKEY'S MILKIN' IT: U17 forward Mikey Berchild (Minnetonka, Minn.) tallied four points last weekend, skating with the Under-18 Team on Friday and Under-17 Team on Saturday.

The University of Denver commit posted two assists en route to a 6-4 win over Bowling Green State University on Friday, first collecting the primary on Jacob Kvasnicka (Wayzata, Minn.) goal to open the game's scoring, then added another on Conrad Fondrk's (White Bear Lake, Minn.) marker to open the second.

Berchild went on to score twice in a comeback attempt that fell just short the following night in an eventual 5-4 loss to Muskegon. He scored the U.S.' second with a dagger on the power play off a dish from Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.), then ripped a wrister glove-side from the right dot with 3:08 to play after connecting with Wyatt Cullen (Moorhead, Minn.).

The 5-9", 173 lb. forward was called up to the Under-18 Team the first weekend in January, and scored against Ferris State University in a 4-3 win in his weekend debut. The team boasts a 9-3 record, and are currently on a four-game heater, since adding Berchild to the lineup.

MIRACLE ON ICE NIGHT: USA Hockey's NTDP is excited to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Winter Games where Team USA captured the gold medal in ice hockey. This Saturday, February 22, marks 45 years to the day that the U.S. defeated the Soviet Union in a thrilling 4-3 upset to advance to the gold-medal game.

John Harrington, a forward on the 1980 team, will be at USA Hockey Arena on Saturday night to drop the ceremonial first puck and fans can head towards the main entrance on concourse for a chance to meet the gold-medalist! Harrington skated for Team USA seven additional times and served on the U.S. staff for various world championships.