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The U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams will both be in action this week. The U17s play a two-game United States Hockey League series while the U18s head out on the road for a pair of college contests.
HERE COME THE BUCCANEERS: The U17s return to the Ann Arbor Ice Cube for a pair of games against the Des Moines Buccaneers on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s game begins at 7 p.m. ET, followed by a 3:30 p.m. contest on Sunday.
The U17s swept a two-game series against the Minnesota Elite League last weekend, beating Team Southeast 8-2 on Saturday and Team Southwest 11-1 on Sunday.
Clayton Keller (Swansea, Ill.) registered two goals in the win over Southeast. Graham McPhee (Bethesda, Md.), William Lockwood (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Keeghan Howdeshell (Brighton, Mich.), Keenan Suthers (Macomb, Mich.), Max Jones (Rochester, Mich.), and Matthew Hellickson (Rogers, Minn.) added single tallies. Joseph Woll (Dardenne Prairie, Mo.) stopped 27 shots to earn the win.
Patrick Khodorenko (Walnut Creek, Calif./1-3) and James Sanchez (Northbrook, Ill./2-2) paced the offensive attack with four points each in the 11-1 win. Clayton Keller (Swansea, Ill.) and Nick Pastujov (Bradenton, Fla.) also tallied a pair of goals. Joey Anderson (Roseville, Minn.), Trent Frederic (St. Louis, Mo.), Jones and Chad Krys (Ridgefield, Conn.) posted single tallies. Jake Oettinger (Lakeville, Minn.) kicked out 22 shots for his first career victory.
“Especially with the World U17 Challenge coming up, it was nice to be rewarded and see our work on the ice pay off with two wins this weekend,” head coach Danton Cole said. “It was nice to see the players understand what happens when they do things right. It was good to have success and, hopefully, we can find that balance as we get ready for two USHL games. Hopefully, this weekend can serve as that springboard.”
HEADING EAST: The U18s head out on the road for two college contests this week. The squad will head to Providence, Rhode Island, to face No.-5 ranked Providence College on Thursday. Two days later, Team USA will play at No. 13-ranked Boston University.
“We know how difficult it can be to win on the road, especially against college opponents,” said head coach Don Granato, whose squad carries an 8-2 record into this week. “We will continue to work on the little details and look to improve each game. We will be a little shorthanded this weekend, so it will be important for our players to step up.”
The U18s split a pair of games last week, falling 7-4 at then-ranked No. 9 University of Michigan on Oct. 6 before rebounding with a 6-3 win over the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms on Friday.
Matthew Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo.), Colin White (Hanover, Mass.), Tage Thompson (Oyster Bay, N.Y) and Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.) registered goals in the loss to Michigan. Luke Opilka (St. Louis, Mo.) kicked out 34 shots between the pipes.
Jeremy Bracco (Freeport, N.Y.) scored a pair of goals while Luke Kunin (Chesterfield, Mo.), Charles McAvoy (Long Beach, N.Y.), Thompson and Brendan Warren (Carleton, Mich.) had single tallies against Youngstown. Michael Lackey (Washington, D.C.) stopped 30 shots for the win.
Tickets for home games played at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube are $7 for adults and $5 for children, seniors and active military members. Youth hockey players wearing their team jerseys are admitted for $1 and group rates are available. Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling the NTDP at (734) 327-9251.
A total of 51 NTDP alumni were on National Hockey League opening-day rosters:
(**Injured Reserve)
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.