Nate Chizik Makes 37 Saves as U17s Top Lumberjacks 4

USA Hockey National Team Development Program

Nate Chizik Makes 37 Saves as U17s Top Lumberjacks 4–2

By USA Hockey's NTDP, 12/27/25, 10:00PM EST

Meyer, Fitzhenry, Gutierrez, Milojevic Score for the U.S.

Photo by Rena Laverty

PLYMOUTH, Mich. - Nate Chizik (Warrington, Pa.) stopped 37 shots and Diego Gutierrez (Flower Mound, Texas) picked up a goal and an assist as the U.S. National Under-17 Team defeated the Muskegon Lumberjacks, 4-2, at USA Hockey Arena on Saturday night.

Muskegon opened the scoring at the 13:29 mark on the power play, as Tynan Lawrence buried a one-timer.

Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) answered with a one-timer of his own to pull Team USA even. Cannon Thibodeau (Charleston, S.C.) started the play with a stretch pass to Sam Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.), sending the U.S. into the Lumberjacks’ zone. Pandolfo settled the puck and slid a cross-ice feed to Meyer, who hammered it home to tie the game heading into the second period.

Box Score

Highlights

Team USA broke the game open in the second period, scoring three consecutive goals to build a 4–1 lead.

Nolan Fitzhenry (Andover, Minn.) ignited the surge five minutes into the period, stripping the puck from a Muskegon defender before finishing on a breakaway, roofing a shot over the goaltender’s shoulder to give the U.S. a one-goal advantage.

The insurance marker followed shortly after. Hudson Salvador (Warren, N.J.) tipped the puck to himself before being cut off by a Lumberjacks defender, then made a heads-up, no-look behind-the-back pass to a wide-open Gutierrez, who slipped the puck past the Muskegon netminder for a 3–1 lead.

Alexander Milojevic (Chicago, Ill.) added to the scoring on the power play. After controlling the puck at the point, Gutierrez slid a pass to Milojevic, who took advantage of a wide-open shooting lane and snapped the puck into the back of the net.

Muskegon nearly answered late in the period, earning a breakaway with under two minutes remaining, but Chizik came up with a key stop to preserve the three-goal cushion.

The Lumberjacks pushed back in the third period and broke through at the 9:07 mark on a goal from Drew Stewart. From there, the U.S. tightened up defensively, limiting chances and closing out a 4–2 victory.

Chizik turned aside 37 shots and was named the game’s first star.

The U17s return to action Saturday, Dec. 28, when they travel to Muskegon for a 3:05 p.m. ET puck drop. They return home to USA Hockey Arena on Friday, Jan. 2, against the Sioux City Musketeers. Tickets are available at USAHockeyNTDP.com/tix or by calling the box office at 734-453-8400.