DUBUQUE, Iowa - James Hagens (Hauppauge, N.Y.) set career highs with four goals and six points to help Team USA to a point, but the U.S. National Under-18 Team fell in overtime to the Dubuque Fighting Saints, 7-6, Saturday evening at ImOn Ice. 

Team USA responded less than three minutes later as Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.) tallied his 27th goal of the season in front. Brodie Ziemer (Hutchinson, Minn.) fed Hagens into the offensive zone. He undressed a Dubuque defender with a dangle and slid it back-door to Stiga who finished to tie the game at 1-1. 

After the Fighting Saints briefly retook the lead via a Matt Desiderio snipe from the left wing, it was Hagens' turn for the quick response for his first of the night. Ziemer stopped a clearing attempt at the right point and found Hagens in the slot where he turned and rifled a wrister top-shelf to even the game after 20 minutes. 

A Noah Powell slap-shot from the point put Dubuque back in front, but Team USA answered the bell just 15 seconds later at 4:04 of the second. Hagens collected a loose puck after a Dubuque turnover, hit the offensive zone with speed and whipped a backhander by Dylan Johnson to tie the game once more. 

Team USA took its first lead of the night after a fortunate bounce that led to Hagens' third. Ziemer found EJ Emery (Compton, Calif.) at the right point and the defenseman put a shot on net. It glanced off of Hagens' pant leg and past Johnson for his first three-goal game of the season. 

This time it was the Saints with the quick answer as Colin Frank capped off a tic-tac-toe passing display 26 seconds later to make it four goals aside. 

While shorthanded, Hagens collected his fourth goal of the night after he slipped a quick shot through the five-hole of Johnson after Stiga chipped a puck in front for him to chase down. 

Right after the ensuing Dubuque power play expired, Hendrickson collected his second of the night to make it a 5-5 contest with 8:13 to play in the second. 

The U18s took the lead once more off a right-point shot from Will Skahan (Woodbury, Minn.), which gave the defenseman goals in back-to-back games for the first time in his NTDP career. He was set up by Christian Humphreys (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Hagens, who picked up his career-high sixth point of the game. 

The Saints' Lucas St. Louis was the recipient of an open net to tie the game again at 6-6 just before the close of the second period. 

After the frenzy of the first 40 minutes of the game, Team USA controlled the third with a commanding 15-4 shot advantage, but neither sound could score as the game went to overtime. Fisher Scott scored to give Dubuque the extra point. 

Team USA returns to the Mitten State for a home-and-home set with the Muskegon Lumberjacks next weekend to finish their domestic schedule this season. Friday night's game is in Muskegon at 7:10 p.m. before the U18s cap their campaign Saturday at USA Hockey Arena.