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U17s Defeat Minnesota Elite League Southwest, 5-4

By USAHockeyNTDP.com, 10/14/18, 4:00PM EDT

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Ty Smilanic recorded two goals in win


Photo by Nick Wosika

NEW HOPE, Minn. — Ty Smilanic (Elizabeth, Colo.) tallied two goals and an assist and ten other players recorded a point as the U.S. Under-17 Team recorded a 5-4 victory against the Minnesota Elite League Southwest in a two-game series at the New Hope Ice Arena.

The U17s took a 1-0 lead 9:57 into the first period when Chase Yoder (Fairview, Texas) scored off of a play with Smilanic and Jake Sanderson (Whitefish, Mont.).

Smilanic doubled the U17s lead to 2-0 early into the second frame with assists from Matthew Beniers (Hingham, Mass.) and Tyler Kleven (Fargo, N.D.). Team USA fell behind 3-2 as Southwest responded with three goals in a four-minute span in the middle of the second frame.

Daniyal Dzhaniyev (Brooklyn, N.Y.) netted the equalizer 3:17 into the third stanza, with the help of Owen Gallatin (Hugo, Minn.) and Dylan Peterson (Roseville, Calif.), before Southwest regained the lead around five minutes later.

Team USA struck twice late in the third period to seal the 5-4 victory. Daniel Laatsch (Altoona, Wis.) scored at 7:46 to tie the game 4-4, and Smilanic netted his second of the game with 3:06 remaining. Noah Grannan (Germantown, Wis.) played a full game in Team USA's win.

The U17s enter its upcoming matchup with the Central Illinois Flying Aces on Friday (Oct. 19) with a 6-1-0-1-0 record and returns to USA Hockey Arena to face the Muskegon Lumberjacks in a USHL game on Friday (Oct. 26).

Tickets for all NTDP games can be purchased at the USA Hockey Arena box office, by calling 734-453-8400 or by visiting USAHockeyNTDP.com/tix.

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Photo by Rena Laverty

The U.S. National Team defeated the Muskegon Lumberjacks, 7-3 behind a hat trick performance from Cole Caufield(Stevens Point, Wis.).

Caufield opened the scoring for the U17s at 5:03 of the first period on the breakaway. He sent the puck over the glove of Muskegon’s Keegan Karki after collecting a pass from Alex Turcotte (Island Lake, Ill.) at the blue line.

Ryder Rolston (Birmingham, Mich.) netted his fourth goal in his last three games at the 19:30 mark of the first to give the U17s the lead heading into the first intermission. Alex Vlasic (Wilmette, Ill.) skated the puck into the zone before sending it over to Rolston who shot it in from the right circle.

Muskegon netted two quick goals in the second to take the 3-2 lead.

Box Score

Highlights

Michael Gildon (Plano, Texas) tied the game at three at 9:37 of the second period lifting the puck on the backhand.

Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.) regained the lead for the U17s at 10:03 of the middle frame. Marshall Warren (Laurel Hollow, N.Y.) sent the puck to Zegras at the top of the left circle who then wristed it beyond Karki on the power play.Ryan Siedem (Madison, N.J.) also picked up an assist on the goal.

A giveaway by Muskegon in the slot resulted in Caufield’s second goal of the game at 4:44 of the third period.

Caufield competed the hat trick at 6:51 of the final frame with help from Matthew Boldy (Millis, Mass.) and Henry Thrun (Southborough, Mass,).

Boldy picked up his second point of the afternoon and gave the U17s the 7-3 lead at the 13:21 mark of the third period.

Muskegon added two goals at 17:11 and 18:30 of the third before John Beecher (Elmira, N.Y.) sealed the 8-5 win with the empty-netter. Boldy tallied his third point of the day with the lone assist. 

Both Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.) and Muskegon’s Karki tallied 21 saves.

With the U17s win and the U18s win on the road, Team USA currently sits in first place of the Eastern Conference with 35 points.

The U17s are back in action Saturday (Jan. 20) when the Sioux Falls Stampede come to USA Hockey Arena for Star Wars Night. Tickets are available at USAHockeyNTDP.com/Tix.

U17s Stats

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