USHL U.S. National Team

U.S. National U18 Team Tops Des Moines, 4-3, In OT

Published on March 7, 2010 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Rocco Grimaldi (Rossmoor, Calif.) and Matthew Nieto (Long Beach, Calif.) each tallied twice, with Nieto netting the game-winning goal for the U.S. National Under-18 Team as it defeated the Des Moines Buccaneers, 4-3, in overtime here tonight.

Ryan Walters staked the Buccaneers to a 1-0 lead 12:02 into the game with a power-play marker after he snapped a shot through a screen and past netminder Andy Iles (Ithaca, N.Y.) from the left faceoff dot. Team USA answered back with a power-play goal of its own when Grimaldi collected a rebound inside the left faceoff circle and fired a shot up and over goaltender Charles Williams with 2:53 to play in the opening period.

The U.S. took its first lead of the game at 11:56 of the middle stanza when Nieto slammed Chase Balisy's (Fullerton, Calif.) rebound under Williams from the middle slot. With 3:50 remaining in the second period, D.J. Vandercook tapped Eric Knodel's feed through the legs of Iles from the top of the crease. Just 1:15 later, Team USA claimed a 3-2 lead when Grimaldi tipped Adam Clendening's (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) left-point shot inside the left post.

In the final frame, the U.S. held Des Moines scoreless for much of the period, however a penalty against Team USA gave the Bucs a power-play opportunity with 1:59 remaining in regulation. With Williams pulled in favor of an extra attacker, Austin Coldwell snapped a shot inside the left post with just 54 seconds to play in regulation to knot the score, 3-3.

The overtime period went back and forth for the first four minutes until Team USA broke out with Brandon Saad (Gibsonia, Pa.) leading the charge down the left wing into the offensive zone. Saad then threw the puck towards a charging Clendening, who tipped it on net. His rebound then popped free to a late-breaking Nieto, who slammed it past Williams with just one minute to play in extra time to give the U.S. the 4-3 win.

Iles made 29 saves on the night to earn the victory.

The U.S. National Under-18 Team returns to action on the road when it meets the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders at 7:05 p.m. CST Friday (March 12).

NOTES: Matthew Nieto's two goals tonight give him a team best 23 on the season... Brandon Saad posted his team-high 45th point (22-23) with an assist tonight... Andy Iles posted his 17th win of the 2009-10 campaign... Adam Clendening recorded three assists on the night, to up his point total to 33 (9-24), which leads U.S. defensemen... Tonight's contest was the U.S. National Under-18's last home game of the year... The U18s combined with the U.S. National Under-17 Team, who defeated the Sioux Falls Stampede, 5-4, in a shootout earlier Sunday, to pick up four points in the standings while sweeping a pair of USHL opponents.

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United States Hockey League Stories from March 7, 2010


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