U.S. will Play Sweden in U17 Challenge Third-Place Game

USA Hockey National Team Development Program

U.S. will Play Sweden in U17 Challenge Third-Place Game

By USA Hockey's NTDP, 11/08/24, 10:15PM EST

U.S. falls to Canada Red in semifinal action

Photo by Thomas Skrlj/Hockey Canada Images

SARNIA, Ontario - Three different skaters scored, but the U.S. National Under-17 Team fell to Canada Red in the 2024 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge semifinal here tonight inside Progressive Auto Sales Arena.

Team USA will face Sweden tomorrow in the third-place game with puck drop is set for 3:30 p.m. ET from the Progressive Auto Sales Area. The game will be broadcast live on TSN.

Canada Red got on the board with 39 seconds left in the opening frame off a power-play score by Alessandro Di Iorio, then Chad Lygitsakos made it a 2-0 game 1:03 into the second.

Box Score

2024 WU17HC

Sammy Nelson (Maple Grove, Minn.) had a chance on a breakaway minutes into the second, but Carter Esler made the stop. Mikey Berchild (Minnetonka, Minn.) picked up the rebound for a one-timer attempt, but again Esler kept the U.S. off the board.

Joe Iginla gave the Canadians a 3-0 lead, capitalizing on a 5-on-3 advantage at 3:45, then Chad Lygitsakos added a fourth 30 seconds later.

Lukas Zajic (Plainfield, Ill.) got the U.S. on the board with a quick power-play snipe from the bottom of the right circle at 8:50, grabbing a rebound off an initial shot by Victor Plante (Hermantown, Minn.). Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) earned an assist as well.

Cruz Pavao restored Canada Red’s four-goal lead with 5:58 left in the period, but Logan Stuart (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) answered back in just over a minute, accepting a dish from Dayne Beuker (Portland, Ore.) in the low slot and beating Esler glove-side. Logan Lutner (Maple Grove, Minn.) earned an assist as well.

A Berchild power-play goal in the final 1:30 of the period brought Team USA within two heading into the third. Zajic got the play started in the U.S. zone, tipping the puck to Luke Schairer (Charlotte, N.C.), who skated up the left wing and found Berchild in the high slot for the finish.

Parker Vaughan added a sixth for Canada, intercepting a passing attempt in the U.S. zone at 12:54, then Brett Olson brought the final score to 7-3 with 4:25 to play.

Kaenan Smith (Duluth, Minn.) started in net for the U.S., making 11 saves on 15 shots, while Luke Carrithers (Maple Grove, Minn.) had 18 stops on 21 attempts in the final 34:45.