CRANBERRY TWP., Pa. - Cole McKinney (Lake Forest, Ill.) scored twice in his season debut, but the U.S. National Under-18 Team fell to the Sioux Falls Stampede, 6-3, Saturday evening at the 2024 USHL Fall Classic. 

With less than a minute to play in the first stanza, NTDP alum Austin Baker (2022-24) showcased his speed and netted a shorthanded tally to even the score after 20 minutes of play. 

McKinney grabbed his second of the evening at 7:02 of the second. After a failed Sioux Falls clearing attempt, McKinney scooped up the puck in the slot, wheeled and rifled a wrister that popped the water bottle to put the U18s back on top, 2-1. 

The Stampede responded with two goals in less than two minutes to take their first lead of the night. First, it was Egor Barabanov finishing a 2-on-0 break and then Sam Speher netted the go-ahead score after a scrum in front of the Team USA cage at 11:27 of the second. 

With 99 seconds to play in the middle frame, John McNelis got in alone and finished through the five-hole of Patrick Quinlan (Kennett Square, Pa.) to extend the Stamped advantage to 4-2. 

Noah Erness made it four in a row for the Stampede, as he put a second-chance opportunity past Joey Slavick (Westland, Mich.), who came on in relief, seven minutes into the final period of regulation. 

Team USA pulled its goalie on a power play in the back half of the third period, and Sioux Falls found the open cage with 5:14 to play to ice the game.

Richard Gallant (Concord, Mass.) got one score back for the U18s in the last minute as he converted on a rebound off a Will Belle (Minnetonka, Minn.) original attempt as the final fell to 6-3. 

The U18s return to the ice tomorrow afternoon in the final game of the 2024 USHL Fall Classic against the Waterloo Black Hawks. Puck drop is set for 2:00 p.m. ET from the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Twp., Pennsylvania.