NAHL U.S. National Team

U.S. National U17 Team Downs Slovakia, 6-1

Published on January 1, 2009 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


PORT ALBERNI, B.C. - Emerson Etem (Long Beach, Calif.) and Drew Shore (Denver, Colo.) each netted two goals as the U.S. National Under-17 Team downed Slovakia, 6-1, here today in its third game at the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Team USA improved to 3-0-0-0 at the event and has clinched a berth in the semi-finals.

Team USA got on the board 2:28 into the first period when Michael Mersch (Park Ridge, Ill.) slid the puck into the bottom right corner of the net. Slovakia's Matej Bene answered back with an unassisted shorthanded marker three minutes later. Etem put Team USA ahead after he converted on a feed from Shore at 15:13. Just 28 seconds later, Etem returned the favor, setting up Shore for a one-timed shot from the left faceoff circle that flew past diving netminder Juraj Simboch.

Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev.) found Shore who deked to his forehand and slid the puck past Simboch to make it 5-1 at 7:36 of the second stanza. Etem recorded his second goal when he collected a rebound in front of the net and chipped it over a down and out Simboch at 14:22.

With Team USA on a 4-on-3 power play, Justin Faulk (South St. Paul, Minn.) fired a wrist shot from the middle point that beat the goaltender low-blocker side just 34 seconds into the final frame. U.S. netminder Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.) stopped all six shots he saw in the last 20 minutes to preserve the 6-1 victory.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team will meet Canada West in a battle for first-place in Group B on Friday (January 2) at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) in Oceanside, B.C.

NOTES: Team USA out shot Slovakia by a 48-13 margin ... Emerson Etem earned Team USA Player of the Game honors. He had three points (2-1) to pace the U.S. ... Jason Zucker recorded two assists in the contest ... Team USA has outscored its opponents 22-5 in tournament play ... Nick Shore is tied for the tournament lead with eight points (4-4)... The 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge features ten international teams including five Canadian regional teams (Ontario, Quebec, Pacific, West and Atlantic), Finland, Germany, Russia, and the United States ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team has captured the tournament title twice (2001, 2002) and has placed second in each of the last two years of the event.

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North American Hockey League Stories from January 1, 2009


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