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USHL U.S. National Team

National Team Development Program Weekly Update

October 24, 2012 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


U18 TEAM TO STOP IN MINNESOTA FOR TWO: The U.S. National Under-18 Team will take on No. 1 ranked University of Minnesota on Friday, Oct. 26, at the Mariucci Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. EDT. Team USA last faced the Golden Gophers on Jan. 7, 2011. The following night (Oct. 27), the U.S. will head to St. Paul, Minn., to take on St. Thomas University. Puck drop is slated for 8:30 p.m., at the St. Thomas Ice Arena. This will be the first meeting between the two squads. Team USA is 1-4-1 (W-L-T) when facing collegiate opponents this season.

U17 TEAM RETURNS FROM ROAD FOR TWO AT HOME: The U.S. National Under-17 Team will enjoy a two-game homestand this weekend when two United States Hockey League foes visit the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Ice Cube. Team USA will first take on the Waterloo Black Hawks on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m., followed by a Sunday, Oct. 28, tilt against Green Bay. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., versus the Gamblers.

U18s UPENDED BY CORNELL UNIVERSITY: Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and Shane Eiserman (West Newbury, Mass.) each scored for the Under-18 Team but Team USA was upended, 6-2, on Oct. 19, at James Lynah Arena. The Big Red scored three straight goals in the first period before Butcher put the U.S. on the board with a power play tally. Tyler Motte (St. Clair, Mich.) and Frankie Vatrano (East Longmeadow, Mass.) collected assists on the goal. Eiserman's goal, a shorthanded marker to open the second frame, cut Cornell's lead to 3-2. Kevin Labanc (Staten Island, N.Y.) registered the lone assist. Cornell responded with another three-goal outburst to hand the U.S. a 6-2 loss.

U18s BLANK OSWEGO STATE: Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.) made 31 saves as the U.S. National Under-18 Team blanked Oswego State University on Oct. 20, at the Campus Center Ice Arena. It was Demko's second shutout of the season. A first period tally by Kevin Labanc was all the U.S. needed to earn the victory; Will Butcher assisted on the goal. Shane Eiserman added an insurance goal in the third frame off of passes from Hudson Fasching (Burnsville, Minn.) and Gage Ausmus (East Grand Forks, Minn.).

U18s CLIP INDIANA IN THIRD PERIOD: Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) had two goals and one assist as the U.S. National Under-18 Team clipped the Indiana Ice, 6-4, on Oct. 23, at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. Team USA took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission on goals by Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) and Shane Eiserman. The U.S. increased its lead at 2:17 of the second stanza when Kevin Labanc deposited the puck into the net. Allen notched his first goal of the game at 7:04 to give the U.S. a 4-0 advantage. Indiana mounted its comeback attempt midway through the second period, scoring two goals before time expired in the frame. The Ice tallied back-to-back goals to open the third period and tied the contest, 4-4. With just 1:36 left on the clock, Allen netted the eventual game-winning score. Michael McCarron (Macomb, Mich.) and Clint Lewis (Burnsville, Minn.) assisted on the marker. Tyler Motte added a late goal to seal the victory, 6-4.

U17s SUFFER SETBACK ON ROAD IN USHL: The U.S. National Under-17 Team fell to the Des Moines Buccaneers, 10-1, on Oct. 19. Jared Fiegl (Parker, Colo.) scored the lone goal for Team USA; Joe Wegwerth (Brewster, N.Y.) collected the assist. Des Moines opened scoring at 2:14 of the first frame and doubled its lead at 5:41 before Fiegl notched the first goal for Team USA. Two second period goals by the Buccaneers, and six more in the third, put the game out of reach for the U.S. Ryan MacInnis (St. Louis, Mo.) and Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.) scored for Team USA in its next contest, Oct. 21, against the Waterloo Black Hawks but the U.S. dropped a 6-2 decision at Young Arena.

UNDER-18 TEAM NEWS/NOTES: Shane Eiserman has goals in back-to-back college tilts (Oct. 19-20) and in three straight games overall, including USHL action. The forward is tied for the team lead in points with nine (6-3) in 12 games ... Forward Tyler Kelleher is also tied for the team lead in points. Kelleher has a team-best seven goals to go along with two assists ... Kevin Labanc recorded the game-winning tally on Oct. 20, against Oswego State University. Coupled with one goal and one assist against the Indiana Ice on Oct. 23, the forward is now on a three-game point streak (2-2) dating back to Oct. 19, when he recorded an assist against Cornell University ... The U18s have nine power play goals in 56 chances (16.1 percent) ... Team USA is killing off penalties at an 83.3 percent clip ... The U18s have outshot their opponents, 381-279, so far this season in 12 contests, and trail its opponents by one goal overall, 39-38.

UNDER-17 TEAM NEWS/NOTES: Forward Jack Eichel leads all U.S. National Under-17 Team skaters in points on the season. In 10 games, he has five goals to go along with six assists, both team highs ... Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y.) is second on the squad with eight points (8-8) in 10 games ... Forwards Jared Fiegl and Joe Wegwerth both had three-game point streaks snapped on Oct. 21. Fiegl notched one goal and added three assists dating back to Oct. 12, before the streak ended. Wegwerth tallied three goals and collected one assist over that span ... Edwin Minney (Wind Gap, Pa.) is currently tenth in the United States Hockey League in saves. The netminder has turned aside 131 shots in five games so far this season ... The U17s have five power play goals in 35 chances (14.3 percent) ... Team USA is killing off penalties at an 83.3 percent clip ... The U17s have been outshot 362-295 so far this season in 10 contests and trail in goals scored, 53-37 in favor of the opposition.

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United States Hockey League Stories from October 24, 2012


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