U18s Fall Short to Michigan State in Night Bigger Than Hockey

USA Hockey National Team Development Program

U18s Fall Short to Michigan State in Night Bigger Than Hockey

By USA Hockey's NTDP, 11/21/24, 9:45PM EST

Murtagh and Gallant collect two points each in 6-2 final

Photo by Rena Laverty

PLYMOUTH, Mich. - Despite two points apiece from Jack Murtagh (East Greenbush, N.Y.) and Richard Gallant (Concord, Mass.), the U.S. National Under-18 Team fell to the Michigan State Spartans, 6-2, Thursday evening in front of 3,819 fans at USA Hockey Arena.

The NTDP and Michigan State used the game to team up in a fight against cancer. Portions of ticket and concession sales will be donated to the Deschamps family to help aid Kelly Deschamps' battle against breast cancer. Kelly is the wife of University of Michigan assistant coach Matt Deschamps, and her battle has been ongoing since her diagnosis in August.

Gallant put the sold-out home crowd on its feet early as he opened scoring at 5:44 of the first. In the neutral zone, Murtagh fed Gallant down the left wing. He circled below the goal line and banked his shot off MSU goaltender Trey Augustine and in for an early 1-0 lead.

Box Score

Highlights

The Spartans responded with a trio before the close of the first to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. NTDP product Charlie Stramel evened the score halfway through the period, as he finished off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence to fire past U18 netminder Patrick Quinlan (Kennett Square, Pa.).

MSU forward Gavin O'Connell used a redirection in front to give the visitors a lead with a little more than three minutes remaining and Griffin Jurecki took advantage of a U.S. defensive-zone turnover to double the lead with 1:23 to play in the opening frame.

NTDP alum Isaac Howard put his name in the goal column with a breakaway tally at 4:50 of the second with a five-hole finish and Buffalo Sabres draft pick Patrick Geary added a fifth consecutive score 47 seconds later to extend the Spartans lead to 5-1.

Gallant and Murtagh teamed up once again for Team USA's second score of the night at 7:17 of the second. Gallant chipped a puck into the offensive zone that Murtagh won the race to and flipped a quick wrister past Luca Di Pasquo to make it a 5-2 contest.

In the final 20 minutes of regulation, Michigan State's Tiernan Shoudy was the lone goal scorer for the game's 6-2 final.

Quinlan finished with 34 saves, his second-highest save total of the season.

The U18s are off the rest of the weekend before heading north of the border for a pair of contests against the CHL Top Prospects on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Tuesday's contest will come from Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario, with opening face-off set for 7:00 p.m. ET. Both games will broadcast live on NHL Network.