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Photo by Rena Laverty
PLYMOUTH, Mich. - Cole McKinney (Lake Forest, Ill.) and Sammy Nelson (Maple Grove, Minn.) both tallied a goal and an assist as the U.S. National Under-18 Team eclipsed the 30-win mark tonight in its last game of the season inside USA Hockey Arena.
Team USA’s greatest chance in the opening frame came with 7:48 to go as Andrew O’Neill (Fargo, N.D.) nearly cleaned up a shot from up top by Garrett Lindberg (Moorhead, Minn.), but it floated along the crease and stayed out.
LJ Mooney (West Mifflin, Pa.) came close to breaking the game open early in the second, but starting Waterloo netminder Kambryn Hendrickson dove across the crease to keep it out. Waterloo came down the ice just over a minute later with a look right on the doorstep, but Team USA starting goaltender Patrick Quinlan (Kennett Square, Pa.) denied a pair of looks to keep the score even at zero. Quinlan, once again, made a crucial save to keep the game tied at the 11:38 mark, moving post-to-post to deny the Black Hawks.
Nelson got the scoring started as he potted his 17th of the season with 9:32 to go. Mooney sped up the ice with the puck, dashed towards the middle and found Nelson with a backhand pass before Nelson buried it.
Team USA kept on rolling :27 seconds later as Landon Hafele (Fairbanks, Alaska) picked up a loose puck behind the net and shelved it backhand to go up a pair. The second period scoring didn’t stop there though as McKinney found twine, shorthanded, for his 24th tally of the season. Mikey Berchild (Minnetonka, Minn.) came out of the box and intercepted a drop pass and took it down the ice before he went around the net and found McKinney up front.
Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) netted the fourth and final goal for Team USA in the middle frame, on the power play, with 1:17 to go. Drew Schock (Green Bay, Wis.) followed up a feed from Nelson with one of his own to T. Mutryn before he found the back of the net.
The Black Hawks found the scoreboard in the third as Brock Schultz took advantage of a power play opportunity 2:36 in. Will Moore (Ithaca, N.Y.) got it back though, 2:20 later, on the power play for his 23rd of the season after he finished off a feed from Mooney, making it 5-1.
The U18s held on as it took down Waterloo, 5-1, for its 30th win of the season.
Quinlan stopped 27 shots in the win.
The U18s now turn its attention to the 2025 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship in Frisco & Allen, Texas. The tournament is slated from April 23 - May 3.