U18s Top Gamblers 6-3, Extend Winning Streak to 10 Games

USA Hockey National Team Development Program

U18s Top Gamblers 6-3, Extend Winning Streak to 10 Games

By USA Hockey's NTDP, 03/08/25, 10:00PM EST

Gallant (2g-1a) and Mooney (1g-2a) pace team with three points each

Photo by Rena Laverty

GREEN BAY, Wis -The U.S. National Under-18 Team posted a 6-3 win over the Green Bay Gamblers to earn the weekend sweep on the road. The U18s have now won 10 games in a row, including five straight USHL victories.

Team USA took the 1-0 lead at the 13 minute mark of the opening stanza. LJ Mooney (West Mifflin, Pa.) took the initial shot, but the puck bounced back to him and he fed the puck over to Donny Bracco (Freeport, N.Y.), who buried the shot for his fourth goal of the season.

The U18s made it 2-0 on a power-play marker by Jack Murtagh (East Greenbush, N.Y.), who tapped the puck into the net for his 18th goal of the season. Mooney and Bracco picked up the assists on the play.

Box Score

Richard Gallant (Concord, Mass.) gave the U18s a 3-0 lead, just 4:54 into the middle stanza. Gallant scored on the rebound from an initial shot by Cole McKinney (Lake Forest, Ill).

Three-straight second-period goals by the Gamblers within a seven-minute time span tied the game at three. Aidan Park started the scoring, just 50 seconds after the Gallant score. Then, at the 7:50 mark, Will Zellers put the puck under the cross bar for the team’s second goal. Vasily Zelenov tied the game at three with a power-play marker at the 12:13 mark.

The U18s had a huge third period, scoring three goals to record the win. They regained the lead, 4-3, on a power-play goal, just 1:12 into the third period. Mikey Berchild (Minnetonka, Minn.) took a pass from Gallant and put a backhander past the Gamblers netminder.

From behind the net, Gallant took a shot that banked off a Gamblers defender to net his second goal of the game on the power play and help the U18s regain a 2-goal lead, 5-3, at the 8:41 mark. It was Gallant’s second goal of the game and his 21st of the year.

Mooney sealed the game with an empty-net goal with 68 seconds to go. Berchild bumped the puck up to Mooney who skated down and put the puck into the open net.

Patrick Quinlan (Kennett Square, Pa.) finished with 17 stops to earn his 11th win of the year.

The U18s will return to USA Hockey Arena next weekend when they face the Madison Capitals on Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15. Face-off is set for 7pm ET both nights.