USHL U.S. National Team

U.S. National U17 Team Falls To Switzerland, 5-2, At Vlad Dzurilla Tournament Opener

Published on February 11, 2010 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


PIESTANY, Slovakia - Zac Larraza (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Cole Bardreau (Fairport, N.Y.) each tallied for the U.S. National Under-17 Team, but it was not enough as it fell to Switzerland, 5-2, here today in the opening game of the 2010 Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament.

Dominic Lammer put Switzerland ahead, 1-0, with an unassisted goal 5:20 into the game. Eric Arnold doubled Switzerland's advantage after converting on a Samuel Walser feed at 15:36. Netminder Matt McNeely (Burnsville, Minn.) turned aside 14 shots to keep Team USA within striking distance.

In the second stanza, Larraza got Team USA on the board at 10:12 when he put a shot past netminder Lucas Meili. Robbie Russo (Westmont, Ill.) and J.T. Miller (East Palestine, Ohio) picked up assists on the play. With just 27 seconds remaining in the middle period, Gregory Hofmann regained the two-goal advantage over the U.S.

Switzerland made it 4-1 at 8:30 of the final frame when Joel Vermin beat McNeely for a power-play goal. With just 1:15 to play in regulation, Bardreau tallied an unassisted marker to bring Team USA within two goals, but that was the last time the U.S. bested Meili. Gaeten Haas potted an empty-net goal with just 16 seconds remaining in regulation to account for the 5-2 final.

McNeely turned aside 38 total shots in the game.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team will take on Germany Friday at 2 p.m. (8 a.m. EST) in Piestany.

NOTES: Matt McNeely was named Team USA's Player of the Game... The U.S. National Under-17 Team has added three players to its roster for the 2010 Vlad Dzurilla Tournament. Forwards Alex Gacek (Dracut, Mass.), of the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs of the Eastern Junior Hockey League, and Sean Kuraly (Dublin, Ohio), of the Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets, Midget Major team are making their U.S. debuts, while defenseman Jordan Schmaltz (Madison, Wis.), of the Chicago Mission Midget Major team, is back for his second international stint with the U17s. Schmaltz also played for Team USA at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which the U.S. won, in January.

Check out the U.S. National Team Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United States Hockey League Stories from February 11, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central