USHL U.S. National Team

U.S. National Under-17 Team Defeats Switzerland, 6-1, in 2012 Vlad Dzurilla Tournament

Published on February 9, 2012 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


PIESTANY, Slovakia - Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) and Connor Chatham (Belleville, Ill.) each recorded three-point games, as the U.S. National Under-17 Team defeated Switzerland, 6-1, in the 2012 Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament opener here this afternoon at the Piestany Ice Arena.

"It was important for us to start this tough tournament with a win," said Don Granato, head coach of the U.S. National Under-17 Team. "Our focus shifts to our next opponent and we'll need the same effort we had today."

Team USA opened the scoring at 2:39 of the first period. John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn.) notched the goal for the U.S. with Michael McCarron (Macomb, Mich.) earning the assist. The U.S. outshot Switzerland, 14-6, in the opening period.

Switzerland tied the game, 1-1, at the 2:29 mark of the second stanza. Dawson Cook (Cadillac, Mich.) tallied a short-handed goal to reclaim the lead for the U.S. at 3:51. A power-play strike by Andrew Copp (Ann Arbor, Mich.) extended Team USA's lead to two goals, 3-1. Kevin Labanc (Staten Island, N.Y.) collected an assist on the play. Allen netted the fourth goal for the U.S. at 13:52. Chatham registered an assist on the score.

Chatham netted back-to-back goals, one with the man advanatge, 52 seconds apart in the third period to ice the game for Team USA. Allen and Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) earned assists on each of the tallies. Hunter Miska (North Branch, Minn.) turned aside all six shots he faced in the third period, and 16 shots total, in the win for the U.S. The netminder duo of Robin Kuonen and Melvin Nyffeler made a combined 31 saves for Switzerland in the loss.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team continues tournament play against Germany on Friday (Feb. 10) at 7:30 a.m. EST. The game will be held at the Piestany Ice Arena. Team USA's complete schedule can be found below.

NOTES: The U.S. outshot Switzerland, 37-17 ... The U.S. finished 2-for-5 on the power play, while Switzerland went 0-for-5 with the man advantage ... For Team USA's full roster, click here ... The 2012 Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament features teams from Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States ... Team USA is the defending champion in this event, having claimed the tournament title in 2011 ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with #2012VLAD ... For additional coverage, visit USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Facebook page ... The U.S. National Under-18 Team is also competing internationally this week at the 2012 Five Nations Tournament in Pori, Finland ... The U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams train with The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary new software program released on October 1, 2010 that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com.

Check out the U.S. National Team Statistics

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



United States Hockey League Stories from February 9, 2012


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