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U18s Blank Youngstown, 9-0

By USA Hockey's NTDP, 03/21/21, 6:45PM EDT

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Pastujov extends point streak to 19 games


Photo by Rena Laverty

PLYMOUTH, Mich. Kaidan Mbereko (Aspen, Colo.) collected his second shutout of the season and  Red Savage (Scottsdale, Ariz.) netted a pair of goals as the U.S. National Under-18 Team routed the Youngstown Phantoms, 9-0, in their return to the ice Sunday afternoon at USA Hockey Arena. 

As has become ritual, Dylan Duke (Strongsville, Ohio) put Team USA on the board when he jammed home a loose puck in front of the net on the power play at 9:03 of the first period. Chaz Lucius (Grant, Minn.) centered the puck from the left wing, where it went off the stick of Tyler Boucher (Haddonfield, N.J.) and right to Duke for his 25th marker of the season. 

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Highlights

Ethan Straky (Ormond Beach, Fla.) doubled the Team USA advantage just 22 seconds later when he netted his first of the year with a firm wrister off an odd-man rush. Lucius entered the offensive zone and found Jeremy Wilmer (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) in the middle of the ice. Wilmer hit the defenseman with a quick pass who rifled it in from the right circle.

Jacob Martin (Eagle River, Wis.) made it a 3-0 game before the close of the opening period with a perfectly placed shot while the Youngstown netminder was screened. Aidan Hreschuk (Long Beach, Calif.) drew two defenders in his direction before dishing to Martin for his fourth tally of the year. Jack Devine (Glencoe, Ill.) collected the secondary helper on the score. 

Ryan St. Louis (Riverside, Conn.) started the second period off with a breakaway goal to extend the lead to 4-0 at 3:16. The Northeastern University commit poked the puck away from a Phantoms defender in the defensive zone, got to the puck first and carried it the length of the ice before he finished with a quick deke and backhand slip through the five hole.

Savage made it five straight scores for the home team when he finished with a little chip shot from close range on the power play. Isaac Howard (Hudson, Wis.) took the initial shot which went off Devine and through a mass of skaters in front before it squirted free to Savage for his 13th of the season. 

Team USA added a quartet of goals in the final 20 minutes to push the final to 9-0. Savage collected his second power-play goal just over two minutes into the frame. 

Roman Schmidt (Midland, Mich.) fired his shot home after an offensive-zone faceoff win from Lucius. Howard followed with his 29th goal of the season in the midst of a four-point night and Lucius found the back of the net late in the game to keep his yearly goal-per-game pace.

Sasha Pastujov (Bradenton, Fla.) extended his program-record point streak to 19 straight games with an assist on Lucius' tally.

Mbereko turned aside all 11 shots he saw to pick up his second shutout of the season.

The Under-18 Team hits the road to take on the Muskegon Lumberjacks Tuesday evening at Mercy Health Arena. 

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