skip navigation
Photo by Rena Laverty

Five Nations Notebook: U18s renew rivalry against Russia with first place on the line

By USAHockeyNTDP.com, 02/08/19, 7:45PM EST

Share

Team USA faces Russia in rematch of 2018 Five Nations Cup thriller

Under-18 Five Nations Game 4

The U.S. National Under-18 Team renews its rivalry against Russia with first place on the line in its final game of the 2019 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday in Sochi, Russia.

Team USA enters the final day of the event in second place after consecutive victories over Finland (3-2) and the Czech Republic (8-2).

Russia's National Under-18 Team enters the Saturday tilt against Team USA with a hold on first place in the tournament standings.

The host nation blanked Sweden (3-0) and topped the Czech Republic (5-1) before it suffered a 3-2 shootout loss to Finland in its most recent game Friday.

Five Nations News

2019 Under-18 Five Nations Schedule

Date Opponent Time (Local/ET) Live Stream
Wednesday, Feb. 6 Sweden L, 5-7 Live Stream
Thursday, Feb. 7 Finland W, 3-2 Live Stream
Friday, Feb. 8 Czech Republic W, 8-2 Live Stream
Saturday, Feb. 9 Russia L, 4-8 Live Stream

Team USA Roster

Tournament Host Site

Matchup Preview

U18 — USA VS. RUSSIA

The U.S. National Under-18 Team renews its rivalry against Russia with first place on the line in its final game of the 2019 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday in Sochi, Russia.

Team USA enters the final day of the event in second place after consecutive victories over Finland (3-2) and the Czech Republic (8-2).

Patrick Moynihan (Millis, Mass.) delivered a hat trick in the U18s' dominant showing against the Czechs on Friday morning. His three tallies helped boost Team USA to a plus-five margin in goal differential across its first three games.

The U18s scored five goals by five different skaters in the final 20 minutes to pull away against the Czech Republic. In addition to Moynihan, Sean Farrell (Hopkinton, Mass.), Cole Caufield (Stevens Point, Wis.), Danny Weight (Lattingtown, N.Y.) and Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.) all found the back of the net in the final frame.

Zegras paces the Team USA with seven points (3-4-7) in three games.

Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.) collected his second win of the Five Nations Tournament and stopped 14 of 16 shots against the Czechs.

Russia's National Under-18 Team enters the Saturday tilt against Team USA with a hold on first place in the tournament standings.

The host nation blanked Sweden (3-0) and topped the Czech Republic (5-1) before it suffered a 3-2 shootout loss to Finland in its most recent game Friday.

Russian forward Vasili Podkolzin, ranked No. 2 among European skaters by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau, has posted a team-best three goals across Russia's first three games of the tournament.

Russia boasts a number of top-15 talents among European skaters, including Podkolzin at No. 2, Ilya Nikolaev at No. 4 and Daniil Gutik at No. 12.

LAST TIME VS. RUSSIA ...

The U.S. National Under-18 Team last faced Russia at the 2018 Under-18 Five Nations Cup in Plymouth, Michigan.

Team USA defeated Russia in their last head-to-head matchup in thrilling fashion after the U18s rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win 5-4. Oliver Wahlstrom (NTDP 2016-18) tied the game at the 13:13 mark of the third period and Tyler Weiss (NTDP 2016-18) scored the winner with 1:26 to play in regulation.

Five Nations News