UTICA, N.Y. - Nick Shore (Denver, Colo.), Joe Wilson (North Syracuse, N.Y.) and Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev.) each scored twice as the U.S. National Under-18 Team rolled to a 10-1 victory here tonight at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.Wilson, suiting up for Team USA for the first time, put the U.S. on the board at 7:50 after he slipped the puck past netminder Anthony Luckow for a power-play tally. Just nine seconds later, Zucker collected his own rebound and banked a shot off Luckow to give Team USA a two-goal advantage. Matt Rust (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) took a touch pass from Brandon Saad (Gibsonia, Pa.), walked in toward the net, deked to his forehand and slipped the puck into the open goal at 8:57. The U.S. out shot the Pioneers 18-4 in the opening stanza, with Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.) stopping all four shots he saw.
Team USA broke out for a four-goal second stanza, starting with Zucker's second tally, which came after Matthew Nieto (Long Beach, Calif.) found Zucker, who fired a shot over Luckow's glove at 2:58 to make it 4-0. After Wilson added his second goal of the game at 5:21, Chase Balisy (Fullerton, Calif.) potted a power-play goal at the 16:00 mark when he drove to the net and slipped a shot into the lower-left corner of the cage. Just 2:10 later, Shore made it 7-0 after converting on a Luke Moffatt (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) feed.
Vincent Nucci put the Pioneers on the board at 3:33, but Team USA came storming back for three more goals including a power-play marker from Justin Faulk (South St. Paul, Minn.) at 6:39, Shore's second score of the game at 8:36 and Kevin Clare's (New Rochelle, N.Y.) goal with just 2:05 to play in regulation to account for the 10-1 final.
Campbell made 16 saves on the night.
The U.S. National Under-18 Team returns to action Saturday against No. 6-ranked Cornell University of ECAC Hockey at Lynah Rink at 7 p.m. EDT.
NOTES: Nick Shore posted four points (2-2) to pace the U.S. tonight, while Jason Zucker (2-1) and Matthew Nieto (0-3) each bagged three points ... Team USA out shot the Pioneers by a 38-17 margin ... Brandon Saad's assist extended his team point lead to 10 (5-5). He is averaging a point-per-game and has scored in the squad's last eight contests ... Justin Faulk netted his team-leading sixth goal and fifth power-play marker ... Kevin Clare registered his first point of the season with his goal in the third period. Every U.S. National Under-18 Team skater now has at least one point this year ... Joe Wilson was added to the U.S. National Under-18 Team's roster earlier today. He will join Team USA for this three-game road trip in New York. Wilson plays full-time for the Syracuse Stars of the Eastern Junior Hockey League. He has verbally committed to Colgate University, which Team USA will meet on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
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