Photo by Rena Laverty
PLYMOUTH, Mich. - The U.S. National Under-18 Team got four points from Christian Humphreys (Pittsburgh, Pa.) in his return to the lineup, and Cole Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.) added three goals and an assists in an 8-4 win over the Green Bay Gamblers Sunday afternoon at USA Hockey Arena.
Humphreys' long-awaited return to the U18 lineup began with netting the game's first marker just under seven minutes into the game. He picked off a Gamblers pass and drove up the right way. After dancing around a Green Bay defender, Humphreys fired a quick wrister from the right circle for a 1-0 USA lead.
Highlights
Humphreys made a nice play along the boards that led to the second U18 score at 12:46. After Green Bay rimmed the puck behind the net, he trapped the rubber in the corner before he made a quick pass to LJ Mooney (West Mifflin, Pa.) at the right dot. Mooney one-timed a clapper past Adam Gajan for a 2-0 lead.
Less than two minutes later, defenseman John Whipple (Minnetonka, Minn.) lit the lamp with a lethal release down the left wing for his first goal of the season. He was set up by Mooney and Humphreys at 12:24.
Team USA took advantage of an early second-period power play to make it four straight scores to start the game. Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen (Northville, Mich.) found Eiserman in his office at the right circle. Instead of winding up for the shot, he fed James Hagens (Hauppauge, N.Y.) back-door who lifted a beauty of a wrister for his 20th score of the season.
Cole McKinney (Lake Forest, Ill.) connected on a one-timer from the slot halfway through the contest for his first point as a member of the U18s. Logan Hensler (Woodbury, Minn.) found Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.) along the right wing, before he centered it to McKinney for the 5-0 score.
Humphreys and Eiserman ran a beautiful 2-on-0 break that ended with Eiserman inserting his name in the goal column for the home team's sixth consecutive score. After Sam Laurila (Moorhead, Minn.) knocked the puck off a Gamblers stick, Eiserman pushed it up to Humphreys to start the break. He returned it to Eiserman on the doorstep who made no mistake for his first of the afternoon.
After Green Bay stopped the run with a Rasmus Larsson tally, Eiserman crafted a great individual effort to notch his second of the game. Taking the puck in the defensive zone, he skated down the right wing, cut towards center and roofed a quick wrist-shot over teh shoulder of Gavin Moffatt, who entered earlier in relief.
The Gamblers got another late score from Jayson Shaugabay to make it a 7-2 ballgame after 40 minutes of action.
Eiserman completed the hat-trick, his fifth of the campaign, with another man-up tally early in the third period off a tic-tac-toe sequence. From the right point Brodie Ziemer (Hutchinson, Minn.) found Plante at the left circle. He one-touched it to Eiserman at the right hashes where he buried his 43rd goal in 41 games.
Green Bay added a pair of scores throughout the remainder of the third period to make it an 8-4 final.
Jack Parsons (Ithaca, N.Y.) stood tall in net for Team USA, making 19 saves to pick up his 12th win of the season.
The U18s return to the ice next weekend to complete their 2023-24 Kroger College Series against the Augustana Vikings. Puck drop is set for 8:07 p.m. ET Friday night from Midco Arena in South Dakota.
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