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Team USA wins NAHL Showcase Tournament

September 18, 2006 - North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release


MINNEAPOLIS - The U.S. Under-18 Team was crowned champions of the fourth annual NAHL Showcase Tournament after posting a perfect 4-0 record at the event.

Team USA opened the Showcase with a 3-2 win over St. Louis on Wednesday. The next night, the U.S. took down Texas, 11-1. It followed that up with an 8-0 whitewash of North Iowa on Friday before concluding the tournament with a 3-1 triumph over Alexandria.

"I thought our team played well," said Team USA coach Ron Rolston. "These were our first games of the new season and the players did a great job this summer preparing themselves for the year.

"All the hard work showed and will continue to pay dividends the rest of the season. They were certainly very excited to get started and play some games."

Boston University recruit Colin Wilson led Team USA in scoring with two goals for six points, while goaltenders Josh Unice, a Bowling Green recruit, and Notre Dame-bound Brad Phillips each recorded two wins between the pipes.

"I was happy with our performance overall, but I know that we have a long way to go and must focus on getting better every day," Rolston added. "We accomplished what we wanted to in our first games, mainly establishing an identity for what we want to be as a team.

"The guys played hard and played together, which was a focus of ours going into the Showcase."

St. Louis' Shawn Skelly was named the Sherwood NAHL Showcase Tournament MVP. The 19-year-old forward from Walled Lake, Mich., led the four-day event in scoring with six goals for eight points, including a hat trick in the Bandits' 3-2 win over Alexandria on Friday.

"Shawn possesses a total offensive package rarely seen in players," said St. Louis coach Jon Cooper. "He hits, he feeds and he can score from anywhere on the ice. When he masters his own end of the ice, watch out."

Last season, Skelly played for Michigan Ice Dogs of the Central States League where he was the league's leading scorer with 32 goals for 77 points in 45 regular-season games.

The Texas Attack won the NAHL Midget Showcase Tournament with a 3-0-1 record. Little Caesar's and the Capital Centre Pride both finished with a 3-1 mark, while the Southern California Titans, Chicago Young Americans and Omaha Energy all finished at 1-3.

"This is an ideal venue for midget players to get looks from junior and college scouts alike," said NAHL deputy commissioner Mark Frankenfeld. "We're looking forward to expanding this event in the future in an effort to bringing these kids even more recognition."

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