ALBURQUERQUE, N.M. - Lukas Zajic (Plainfield, Ill.) scored twice and Victor Plante (Hermantown, Minn.) added two assists, but the U.S. National Under-17 Team dropped a 5-2 contest to the New Mexico Ice Wolves inside Outpost Ice Arenas tonight.
The Ice Wolves struck first as Jake Kasay converted on a two-on-one off a sharp angle 3:08 into the contest.
Zajic found a response at the game's 8:45 mark. Plante picked up a loose puck in the U.S. zone and dished it to Luke Schairer (Charlotte, N.C.). Schairer found Zajic on the doorstep, who slid one home.
Kasay regained the Ice Wolves' lead with 2:59 left in the period, ripping a roofer from the left circle.
Zajic, again, knotted the game 6:05 into the final frame, accepting a centering feed from Plante along the right boards and beating New Mexico netminder Jackson Fuller with a spin-o-rama move.
Andy Earl made it 3-2, Ice Wolves, just over a minute later, scoring off the rush from the left dot, a Ethan Hull added a fourth with a wrister just shy of the game's halfway mark, then Sloan Farmer brought the final tally to 5-2 with a one-timer.
The two teams are back in action tomorrow, with puck drop set for 8:30 p.m. ET from Outpost Ice Arenas. The game can be streamed live on USAHockeyTV.com.
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