Fighting Saints Defeats U17s, 10-6

USA Hockey National Team Development Program

Fighting Saints Defeats U17s, 10-6

By USA Hockey's NTDP, 01/10/26, 10:30PM EST

Sears scores hat trick

DUBUQUE, Iowa. - Finnegan Sears (Medford, Mass.) scored his first career hat trick but, U.S. National Under-17 Team dropped the final game of the weekend, 10-6, to the Fighting Saints at ImOn Arena.

Dubuque continued where the left off the previous night, scoring the first three goals of the game to take the 3-0 advantage.

Right before the end of the period, Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) scored on a beautiful passing play. Setting up in the neutral zone, Brayden Willis (Gilbert, Ariz.) tipped the outlet pass up to Nolan Fitzhenry (Andover, Minn.). Fitzhenry carried the puck into the zone, and found Meyer on the backdoor to cut into the Fighting Saints lead to head into the second period.

Box Score

In the second period, Dubuque made it a three-goal advantage just over a minute into the middle frame on a shot in the slot.

Finnegan Sears got Team USA right back in it on a breakaway goal. Hudson Salvador (Warren, N.J.) took advantage of a defensive lapse, finding a wide open Sears in the neutral zone, who went in and didn't miss to make the score 4-2.

Just moments later, a scramble in front of the net found its way to Freddie Schneider's (Edina, Minn.) stick who fired home the chance to cut the lead to one.

From there it was all Dubuque, scoring five straight goals in the second period, including three in 22 seconds to take a 9-3 advantage.

Sears added his second in the frame but, the Fighting Saints answered on the power play to take a six goal lead into the final period.

In the third, Sears scored his third of the game. Taking advantage of a Dubuque turnover, Braden Horton (Souderton, Pa.) threw a fantastic pass to Sears who had a wide open net to get the hat trick.

Willis scored a power-play goal, but the U17s were unable to cut further into the deficit, falling 10-6.

The U17s are back at USA Hockey Arena next Saturday, Jan. 17 as they host the Green Bay Gamblers. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET and tickets are available at USAHockeyNTDP.com/tix or by calling the box office at 734-453-8400.