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Photo by Michael Caples
PLYMOUTH, Mich. - AJ Francisco (Hermantown, Minn.) and Wyatt Cullen (Moorhead, Minn.) eached posted three points on the night, but the U.S. National Under-17 Team dropped a heartbreaking 5-4 shootout loss to the Youngstown Phantoms tonight inside USA Hockey Arena.
The Phantoms jumped out to a 1-0 lead 7:15 into the contest off a Jack Hextall snipe from the left dot.
Logan Stuart (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) evened the score with 4:05 left in the period, scoring two seconds after a U.S. power play expired. Francisco carried the puck up the left side and found Cullen across the zone, who got a shot off, but Phantoms tender Melvin Strahl made the stop. Stuart picked up the change for the finsh.
Sammy Nelson (Maple Grove, Minn.) gave Team USA a 2-1 lead with 1:12 left in the opening 20. Tyler Martyniuk (Washington Twp., Mich.) dumped the puck in the zone amid a U.S. change and Youngstown's Carter Murphy picked it up, but lost an edge along the goal line. Nelson scooped the loose puck and flipped it into the net for his 12th of the season.
Adam Benák tied things with a power-play goal along the left wing just 14 seconds into the middle frame, then Jamison Sluys regained Youngstown's lead off a score from the point 1:53 later.
Michael Burchill put the Phantoms up by two, scoring right off a Brecken Smith zone-draw win at 3:26, then an Evan Jardine rebound made it a 5-2 contest with 13:39 left on the clock.
AJ Francisco (Hermantown, Minn.) cut the U17s' deficit to two at 14:09 with a beam through traffic from the point on the power play. Stuart fed Cullen along the right wing to set-up the play.
Lukas Zajic (Plainfield, Ill.) brought the U.S. within one 3:55 into the final stanza with a shot from the left dot. Victor Plante (Hermantown, Minn.) won a battle along the left half wall and dished it to Logan Lunter (Maple Grove, Minn.), who sent it back to Zajic for the finish.
Team USA pulled netminder Brady Knowling (Chicago, Ill.) with 1:43 on the clock for the extra skater and Cullen capitalized with just 30 seconds on the clock. Francisco fired from the point and Cullen nabbed the rebound off Strahl's blocker to send the game to overtime. JP Hurlbert (Allen, Texas) earned an assist as well.
Neither team was able to convert in the extra time as the game headed to a shootout. Luke Osburn was the lone skater to convert for a 6-5 final.
The two teams square-off for a rematch tomorrow night at USA Hockey Arena at 7:00 p.m. ET as the NTDP hosts Star Wars Night. Tickets are available at USAHockeyNTDP.com/tix or by calling the box office at 734-453-8400.