ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Matthew Nieto's (Long Beach, Calif.) goal with just 42 seconds remaining in regulation lifted the U.S. National Under-18 Team to a 4-3 victory here tonight over the East Division-leading Green Bay Gamblers. The victory was the first for the National Team Development Program in the United States Hockey League this season.Team USA was able to come out of the first period with a 1-0 lead thanks to Justin Faulk's (South St. Paul, Minn.) power-play tally with just 2:48 to play in the frame. The goal came after Michael Mersch (Park Ridge, Ill.) fed Adam Clendening (Niagara Falls, N.Y.), who slid the puck over to Faulk, who wired a wrist shot inside the left post from the left faceoff circle.
Luke Moffatt (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) jammed a backhanded shot past netminder Steve Summerhays from the left side 6:29 into the second stanza to double the U.S. advantage. Just 44 seconds later, Jarred Tinordi (Millersville, Md.) slid a pass to Frankie Simonelli (Bensenville, Ill.) who snapped a shot over Summerhays' glove from the right point to make it 3-0. With Green Bay on the power play, Sam Alfieri put the Gamblers on the board when he lifted the puck over a sprawled out Andy Iles (Ithaca, N.Y.) at 10:56.
Just 3:53 into the final frame, after taking a feed from Travis Lynch, Brett Chartier snapped a shot past Iles' blocker to make it 3-2. Chartier knotted the score with just 3:02 remaining in regulation when his on-ice shot slipped under Iles' legs. With both teams scratching for the go-ahead goal, Bill Arnold (Needham, Mass.) intercepted a Green Bay pass at the U.S. blue line and chipped the puck up ice. Nieto streaked in from the red line, past two Gambler defenders, grabbed the puck and slid it between Summerhays' legs to give Team USA the 4-3 win.
Iles made 26 saves to earn the win in net.
The U.S. National Under-18 Team will welcome the Chicago Steel to the Ann Arbor Ice Cube Sunday at 3:05 p.m. EST.
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