U17s' Comeback Bid Falls Just Short, Drop 5-4 Loss to Muskegon

USA Hockey National Team Development Program

U17s' Comeback Bid Falls Just Short, Drop 5-4 Loss to Muskegon

By USA Hockey's NTDP, 02/15/25, 9:30PM EST

Berchild scores twice

Photo by Rena Laverty

PLYMOUTH, Mich. - Mikey Berchild (Minnetonka, Minn.) scored twice, but the U.S. National Under-17 Team fell just short in a comeback attempt to drop a 5-4 final to the Muskegon Lumberjacks tonight from USA Hockey Arena.

The U.S. had a pair of great looks around the seven-minute mark of the first, as AJ Garcia (Romeoville, Ill.) ripped a shot from the slot that bounced off the pad of Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev. Lukas Zajic (Planfield, Ill.) scooped up the rebound chance, but Gadzhiev again kept Team USA off the board.

Box Score

Highlights

Muskegon's Tynan Lawrence kicked off scoring with a power-play tick 8:31 into the contest from along the goal line. Drew Stewart added a second just over a minute later off a seam pass from Kurt Gurkan, then David Deputy made it a 3-0 game with 1:51 left in the first from the right hashmarks.

Tynan Lawrence added a fourth to Muskegon's count off a net-front scramble 5:45 into the middle frame.

Zajic got Team USA on the board just before the period's halfway mark on a breakaway after Logan Lutner (Maple Grove, Minn.) grabbed the puck behind the U.S. net and fed Zajic a stretch pass.

Berchild cut the Lumberjacks' lead in half with 3:40 left in the second off a dagger on the power play from the right circle after a dish from Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.). Sammy Nelson (Maple Grove, Minn.) tallied a helper as well.

Jack Galanek made it a 5-2 contest 2:48 into the final stanza, sneaking a rebound tally between the post and the skate of Luke Carrithers (Maple Grove, Minn.).

Nelson added a third for the U17s at 8:05 off a zone-draw win, chipping the puck back to Logan Lutner (Maple Grove, Minn.) at the point, who fired a shot on net. Gadzhiev made the initial stop, but Nelson scooped the loose change and went across the paint for the goal.

Berchild made it a 5-4 final, ripping a wrister glove-side from the right dot with 3:08 to play. JJ Marthaler (Superior, Wis.) sent a stretch pass to Wyatt Cullen (Moorhead, Minn.) at the point and Cullen quickly dished it to Berchild, who skated into the circle for the finish.

Brady Knowling (Chicago, Ill.) got the start for Team USA and had 11 saves on 15 shots, while Carrithers came in just before the game's halfway point to make 13 stops on 14 shots.

The U17s are back in action next Friday, Feb. 21 as they head to Bob Suter's Legacy20 Arena for action against the Madison Capitols. Puck drop is set for 8:05 p.m. ET and the game can be streamed live on FloHockey.