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GREEN BAY, Wis. - Seamus Casey (Fort Myers, Fla.) scored 70 seconds into overtime to give the U.S. National Under-18 Team a 3-2 win over the Green Bay Gamblers Friday night at the Resch Center.
In the extra period, Casey gave the puck to Rutger McGroarty (Lincoln, Neb.) at the right faceoff circle. The captain returned the feed to Casey, who cut towards the slot, where he one-timed a booming slap-shot by Aaron Randazzo to give the U18s their 10th win in the past 11 games.
Green Bay was first on the board when Danny Nelson fired passed a screened Tyler Muszelik (Long Valley, N.J.) from the right circle on a Gamblers power play to take a 1-0 lead 8:15 into the game.
Logan Cooley (Pittsburgh, Pa.) evened the score after a beautiful dangle and top-corner wrister from the left faceoff circle. Seamus Powell (Marcellus, N.Y.) forced a Gamblers turnover, took the puck and circled behind his net to lead the offensive charge. He found Cooley at the blue line where he charged the left wing, dangled a defender and ripped his shot in the far-side top corner with 1:07 to play in the opening period.
Alex Servagno restored the Gamblers lead near the midway mark of the game when he deflected a Muszelik clearing attempt and the puck deflected into the net.
Team USA forced the third tie of the evening off an all-effort score from Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) with less than five minutes to play in the second. Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) came up with the puck off a Green Bay turnover and led Leonard into the offensive zone with a saucer pass. Leonard tangled with a Gamblers defenseman and used one hand to poke the puck through Aaron Randazzo's legs for his 19th goal of the year and a 2-2 tie.
With multiple chances on both ends, neither side could push across a goal in the third period as the game went to overtime for Casey to win.
Muszelik picked up his 22nd win of the season as he finished the night with 37 saves, good for his second-highest total of the season.
The two sides will do it again tomorrow night with another 8:00 p.m. ET puck drop in Green Bay.