Team USA opened up scoring as Brodie Ziemer (Hutchinson, Minn.) scored from the crease on a rebound off the boards. Kamil Bednarik (Elmhurst, Ill.) won the offensive zone faceoff before Cole Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.) blasted a shot that banked behind the net and fell to Ziemer's stick to make things 1-0, 7:25 into the game.

Three minutes later, Stiga doubled Team USA’s lead, tapping in a shot from linemate Austin Baker (White Lake, Mich.). Baker skated the puck in and took a wrist shot that Muskegon netminder Conor Callaghan couldn’t track, opening the door for Stiga to connect on the shot and solidify the U17s lead, 2-0.

Muskegon tallied first in the second period to cut Team USA’s lead in half, but the U17s quickly answered to regain their two-goal edge. Whipple crossed the blue line and took a pass from Christian Humphreys (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and sent a powerful wrist shot from the slot to beat Callaghan on the right side, good for his first tally of the year.

The Lumberjacks struck back with three unanswered goals in 5:34 minutes, putting themselves ahead by a goal and making the game 4-3 going into the third period.

Stiga tied things up at four goals apiece on his second goal of the game with 13:30 left to go in the contest. Baker got the puck to Stiga at center ice, who brought it into the offensive zone and ripped a shot away that quickly saw the back of the net.