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Photo by Phil Andraychak
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - Fourteen different players picked up points and Luke Carrithers (Maple Grove, Minn.) had 26 stops to pick up his first career win as the U.S. National Under-17 Team skated to an 8-5 win over the Johnstown Tomahawks here tonight inside 1st Summit Arena.
Dayne Beuker (Portland, Ore.) lit the lamp 8:30 into the contest, collecting a short pass from Logan Stuart (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) at the top of the zone and burying a quick wrister from the slot. Parker Trottier (Edina, Minn.) earned an assist on the play as well.
Brody George (Johnstown, Pa.) doubled Team USA's lead just 31 seconds later, dancing through a pair of Johnstown defenders after Kade Meyer (Minocqua, Wis.) found Mikey Berchild (Minnetonka, Minn.) in the right circle.
Dallas Potter got the Tomahawks on the board with 6:57 left in the opening frame with a one-timer from the low slot.
Lukas Zajic (Plainfield, Ill.) made it a 3-1 game 1:50 later, scooping up a rebound in the U.S. zone, racing up the right wing and going short-side over the shoulder of Johnstown netminder Ian Amaranto.
Sam Blanton brought the hosts within one, ripping a clapper on the power play, then Nick Jarmain tied the game at 3-3 with a rebound finish.
It was AJ Garcia (Romeoville, Ill.) who got the final word in the busy with period, getting a tip on a Luke Schairer (Charlotte, N.C.) whack from along the right boards for a redirect in the final five seconds.
Sammy Nelson (Maple Grove, Minn.) made things 5-3 with a quick strike on the doorstep off a cross crease pass from Zajic 11:42 into the second, then Wyatt Cullen (Moorhead, Minn.) extended the U.S. lead, picking up a loose puck that had been picked free along the boards, pausing and sending a wrister stick-side.
Mikey Berchild (Minnetonka, Minn.) netted his third in as many games with 2:03 to play in the period, depositing a Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) no-look pass after Sam Wathier (Des Moines, Iowa) got the play started.
On a Tomahawks five-on-three, Ryan Flaherty cashed in a one-timer from the left dot 8:29 into the final frame, then replicated the score 42 seconds later, but Johnstown was unable to complete the comeback as a Jamie Glance (Stratham, N.H.) empty-netter put the game on ice.
The U17s wrap NAHL play next week with a trip to Blaine, Minnesota, to take part in the 2024 NAHL Showcase. They kick things off with an 8:15 p.m. ET puck drop against the Minot Minotauros next Wednesday, Sept. 25 and the game can be streamed live on NAHLTV.