U17s Comeback Bid Falls Just Short in Cedar Rapids, Fall 6-4

USA Hockey National Team Development Program

U17s Comeback Bid Falls Just Short in Cedar Rapids, Fall 6-4

By USA Hockey's NTDP, 03/29/25, 10:30PM EDT

Glance nets a pair for Team USA

Photo by Rena Laverty

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Logan Lutner (Maple Grove, Minn.) connected for his first score of the season and Jamie Glance (Stratham, N.H.) added a a pair, but the U.S. National Under-17 Team's comeback attempt fell just short in a 6-4 loss to the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Saturday evening at ImOn Arena.

The RoughRiders got off to a quick start as they earned goals on two of their first four shots, courtesy of Robert Chlan and Noel Öhgren, but Team USA responded to cut the deficit in half off the stick of Lutner. From the left wing, Lukas Zajic (Plainfield Ill.) found the streaking defenseman, who rifled a shot into the corner to make it a 2-1 ball game. Logan Stuart (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) collected the secondary helper on Team USA's opening goal at 6:01 of the first.

Box Score

Cedar Rapids forward John McNelis converted off a Team USA turnover to regain the RoughRiders' two-goal advantage with 5:41 to play in the first.

In the middle frame, it was Cedar Rapids who got off to a quick start as they found the 4-1 goal just 1:29 into the second.

Thomas Vandenberg made it 5-1 for the 'Riders late in the period, but Glance answered to cut the lead to 5-2 after 40 minutes for the U17s. After Will Belle's (Minnetonka, Minn.) centering feed led to a goal-mouth scramble, Glance's backhand attempt snuck through for his 13th score of the season.

With just under four minutes to play in regulation, Zajic picked up a loose puck and ran a 2-on-1 break with AJ Garcia (Romeoville, Ill.). Zajic chose shot and deposited the puck in the back of the net to make it a 5-3 game.

Forty seconds later, the U17s got some great puck luck as Wyatt Cullen's (Moorhead, Minn.) shot from the slot deflected off the body of Glance and in to give the latter a two-goal evening and cut the lead to just one score.

Cedar Rapids found an empty net with 21 seconds to play in regulation for the 6-4 final.

The U17s finish off their weekend trio tomorrow afternoon in Green Bay. Puck drop between Team USA and the Gamblers is set for 4:00 p.m. ET from the Resch Center.