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ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Max Jones (Rochester, Mich.) assisted on the game's first goal and scored the game winner in overtime and William Lockwood recorded a three-point (2-1) night as the U.S. National Under-17 Team pushed past the Madison Capitols, 4-3, here tonight at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. The game marked the return to United States Hockey League action after a second-place showing at the 2015 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament held in Dmitrov, Russia.
Team USA opened scoring 5:53 into the first frame after Jones dropped a pass that found Lockwood at the top of the crease. Lockwood redirected the feed into the wide-open net for the tally, giving the U17s a 1-0 edge heading into the first intermission.
Lockwood notched his second goal on the night at 3:24 in the middle period, ringing a heavy shot off the post and into the net. Graham McPhee (Bethesda, Md.) collected the lone assist on the play. Twenty-one seconds later James Greenway (Potsdam, N.Y.) caught a pass from McPhee and buried a wrist shot from the top of the circle. Lockwood earned the second assist on the play. The Capitols answered back at the 7:48 mark, but the U.S. carried a 3-1 lead after two periods of play.
Madison was able to capitalize on the power play to bring the score to within one at 5:39 of the third stanza. The Capitols then forced overtime with a late goal scored with 1:15 remaining on the clock.
The Under-17 Team secured victory 1:55 into overtime when Jones skated the length of the ice and wristed a shot from the circle that went off the far post and hit the back of the net.
Jake Oettinger (Lakeville, Minn.) kicked out 36 shots in the win for Team USA.
The U.S. National Under-17 Team will match up with the Madison Capitols once again tomorrow (Feb. 14) night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast online at FASTHockey.com.
Team USA was outshot by Madison, 39-23 ... The U.S. went 0-4 on the power play while the Capitols went 1-8 ... James Greenway's second-period tally was his first with the National Team Development Program ... The NTDP and Madison will do battle four total times in 2014-15, as the U.S. National Under-18 Team travels to Madison to play the Capitols next weekend (Feb. 20-21) ... NTDP alumnus Ryan Suter (2001-03/Madison, Wis.) is chairman of the Capitols. Suter, a star defenseman for the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, was a member of the gold medal-winning 2002 U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Team that earned the first-ever gold medal by a U.S. team at the IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship.