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GAME DAY: U18s Face Finland in Five Nations Finale

By USAHockeyNTDP.com, 11/11/18, 2:45AM EST

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Game to determine first-place slated for 9 a.m. ET


Photo by Rena Laverty

Sunday, Nov. 11

U.S. National Under-18 Team

vs. Finland

Time: 4 p.m./9 a.m. (Local/ET)

Arena: Buly Aréna

Location: Kravaře, Czech Republic

Live Stats

Live Stream

The U.S. National Under-18 Team finishes its 2018 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament play with a 4 p.m./9 a.m. (Local/ET) matchup against Finland at Buly Aréna. Both teams come into the matchup undefeated with 9 points in the standings so the winner will claim first place in the tournament.

Tournament Leaderboard

Following three days of action, Jack Hughes (Orlando, Fla.) sits atop the tournament leaderboard in points (15) goals (6) and assists (9) in three games. Hughes and Cole Caufield (Stevens Point, Wis.) are tied for first in the tournament with 6 goals each. 

Hughes (+14), Caufield (+13), Domenick Fensore (Thornwood, N.Y.) (+10), Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.) (+8), Michael Gildon (Plano, Texas) (+7), Case McCarthy (Clarence Center, N.Y.) (+6), and Alex Vlasic (Wilmette, Illl.) (+5) lead the tournament in plus-minus. 

Goaltender Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.) leads the tournament in save percentage (.925) and in goals-against average (1.50). 

USA vs. Finland

The U.S. and Finland a total of four times in the 2017-18 season of international play, and Team USA emerged victorious in two of four games. The Under-17 Team met Finland once, in the Five Nations Tournament, on Feb. 17, 2018 and emerged victorious with a score of 3-1. Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.), Cam York (Anaheim Hills, Calif.), and Owen Lindmark (Naperville, Ill.) scored for Team USA, and Cameron Rowe (Wilmette, Ill.) made 15 saves in net.

2017-18 Schedule & Results vs. Finland:

Nov. 11, 2017, U18s vs. Finland at Five Nations Tournament (L, 4-3);

Feb. 17, 2018, U18s vs. Finland at Five Nations Tournament (W, 4-0);

Feb. 17, 2018, U17s vs. Finland at Five Nations Tournament (W, 3-1);

Apr. 29, 2018, U18s vs. Finland at IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship (L, 3-2);

USA vs. Switzerland Recap

Cole Caufield (Stevens Point, Wis.) recorded a hat trick and added an assist, Jack Hughes (Orlando, Fla.) registered a goal and five assists and Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.) tallied twice and added three assists for the U.S. National Under-18 Team in its 8-1 victory against Switzerland in its third matchup of the Under-18 Five Nations Tournament at Buly Arena.

Others to register a goal include Ryder Rolston (Birmingham, Mich.) and Henry Thrun(Southborough, Mass.).

Marshall Warren (Laurel Hollow, N.Y.) assisted on two goals while Michael Gildon (Plano, Texas), Alex Vlasic (Wilmette, Ill.), Sean Farrell (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Patrick Moynihan(Millis, Mass.) recorded one assist a piece.

Goaltender Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.) made 12 saves on 13 shots to pick up his second victory of the tournament.

Getting To The Points

The U.S. National Under-18 Team competes in two Under-18 Five Nations Tournaments every year, first in November and the next in February. The 2018 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament features the Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, and Finland.

Each team plays four games per tournament, and the points are awarded as follows: wins (3 points), overtime wins (2 points), and overtimes losses (1 point). The tournament winner is based on the team with the highest point standing after four games.

Team USA At Five Nations

The U.S. has placed first in at least one of the two yearly events dating back to the 2007-08 season. In total, the U.S. has won the event 20 times since the U.S. began participating in 1997-1998. The U.S. has won both of the yearly tournaments five times (2003-04, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2016-17). To view the full history of U.S. first-place finishes at the Under-18 Five Nations Tournament, click here.

Last year, the U.S. tied with the Czech Republic for third place in the 2017 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament in Hämeenlinna, Finland, and ended the contest with a 1-0-2-1 record. The U.S. National Under-18 Team finished with a 3-1-0-0 record and took first place in the 2018 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament in February, held at USA Hockey Arena.

Leading The Team

Jack Hughes (Orlando, Fla.) will serve as the team captain for Team USA at the 2018 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament. Matthew Boldy (Millis, Mass.) and Marshall Warren (Laurel Hollow, N.Y.) will serve as alternate captains for the U.S.

Roster Adds

The U.S. roster is comprised of 20 full-time U.S. National Under-18 Team players, part of the U.S. National Team Development Program. Two non-NTDP players join the roster as well: Cade Webber (Meadville, Penn./The Rivers School) and Robert Mastrosimone (East Islip, N.Y./Chicago Steel). A complete U.S. roster can be found here.

The U.S. National Under-18 Team is led by head coach John Wroblewski (Neenah, Wis.), assistant coach Dan Hinote (Elk River, Minn.), intern assistant coach Kevin Lind (Homer Glenn, Ill.) and goaltending coach Kevin Reiter (Pittsburgh, Penn.).

Defending The Streak

The current U.S. Under-18 Team enters the Five Nations Tournament undefeated in international play and earned first place in its three international tournaments. The U.S. National Under-17 Team took home a combined 14-0 record internationally during the 2017-18 season.

The U.S. finished 7-0 in the 2017 Under-17 Challenge in Dawson Creek, B.C., taking home first place for the first time since January 2014. The 2017 Four Nations Tournament in Järvenpää, Finland resulted in a 3-0  record, with five U.S. players ranking in the top 10 scorers of the tournament: Cole Caufield (4-6-10), Trevor Zegras (2-7-9), Matthew Boldy (5-3-8), Alex Turcotte (1-7-8), and Ryder Rolston (3-1-4). The U.S. ended its third international competition, the 2018 Five Nations in Veliky Novgorod, Russia, with a 4-0 record. Jack Hughes (Orlando, Fla.) was awarded Best Forward in the tournament, and Cole Caufield (Stevens Point, Wis.) was named the tournament’s Highest Scorer.

Full tournament score updates, schedule, and statistics for the 2018 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament can be found at the official tournament website here, and U.S. updates can be accessed at its tournament homepage here.

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