GREEN BAY, Wis. - LJ Mooney (West Mifflin, Pa.) scored his fifth point in as many games, but the U.S. National Under-17 Team fell to the Green Bay Gamblers by a 5-1 count inside the Resch Center tonight.

It was Green Bay, however, who broke the ice. Mykhailo Danylov stole the puck in the U.S. zone and went forehand-backhand with 36 seconds left in the first.

Conrad Fondrk (White Bear Lake, Minn.) had an excellent chance just before the game's halfway mark with a one-timer on the doorstep, but his shot rang off the crossbar.

Geno Carcone doubled the Gamblers' lead with 4:58 left in the second with a laser from above the left circle.

Mooney got the U.S. on the board with just seven seconds to go in the period, picking up a rebound of an initial shot by Charlie Trethewey (Woodbine, Md.) and going blocker side with lightning speed on the power play. Donny Bracco (Freeport, N.Y.) picked up the secondary on the score.

But Team USA was unable to burry one again, and empty-netters from Michael DeAngelo and Charlie Russell, as well as an additional goal in the final seconds from Danylov amid a net-front scramble, brought the final tally to 5-1, Green Bay.

The U17s stride in to 2024 in Kearney, Nebraska, as they play their first matchup of the new year against the Tri-City Storm on Friday, January 5 at the Viaero Center. Puck drop is set for 8:05 p.m. ET and the game can be streamed live on FloHockeyTV.