NAHL U.S. National Team

U.S. National Under-17 Team Closes NAHL Showcase With 4-1 Victory

Published on January 21, 2008 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


BOARDMAN, Ohio - Bolstered by a three-goal third period, the U.S. National Under-17 Team skated to a 4-1 win over the Marquette Rangers at the Boardman Ice Zone Monday afternoon. Adam Murray (Anchorage, Alaska) made 21 saves in helping Team USA finish with a 3-1 record in the North American Hockey League Showcase.

"It was certainly great to finish the showcase with three wins against teams above us in the standings," said Ron Rolston, head coach of the U.S. National Under-17 Team. "Adam [Murray] had another very solid performance, and he did a nice job of making some key saves until we could break open the game a little bit. Beyond that, our defensive corp make good decisions with the puck all weekend, which was key for us."

Jerry D'Amigo (Binghamton, N.Y.) scored his seventh goal of the year at the 9:30 mark of the second period off assists from Kevin Lynch (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and Grant Scott (Sewickley, Pa.). D'Amigo released a wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle that ended up in the top lefthand corner of the net.

Team USA built a 2-0 lead at 3:29 of the third stanza when Kevin McCarey (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) chipped in his third goal of the NAHL Schowcase. Kyle Palmieri (Montvale, N.J.) put a pass from the bottom of the right circle through the slot to McCarey, who lifted the puck up high past goaltender Beau Christian on the glove side. Kenny Ryan (Franklin Village, Mich.) pitched in his 13th assist of the season on the play.

Dustin Partacz tallied the lone marker for the Rangers less than four minutes later when he beat Murray in the five hole with a shot from the low slot.

A pair of goals off the stick of David Wohlberg (South Lyon, Mich.) at 12:09 and 14:39 of the period sealed the victory for Team USA. Wohlberg's first marker came off a backhander that went through Christian's legs. A.J. Treais (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) and Jimmy Hayes (Dorchester, Mass.) were each credited with assists on the goal. Wohlberg added his second goal off a rebound, thanks to helpers from Treais and Hayes.

"The crew of older guys that recently joined us provided our team with some extra stability and leadership, and that gave us a big lift," said Rolston. "Their character played a big role in our success."

Murray improved to 8-9-1 on the season with the win. Christian posted 38 saves and fell to 6-10-2 on the year for Marquette.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team (22-21-1) travels to the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan for a two-game series against the Traverse City North Stars next Friday (Jan. 25) and Saturday (Jan. 26) at Center Ice Arena. Both contests are slated to begin at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Notes: David Wohlberg (2g), Jimmy Hayes (2a) and A.J. Treais (2a) each recorded multi-point games ... Wohlberg has amassed six points (5g, 1a) in his first six games with the U.S. National Under-17 Team in 2007-08 ... Hayes owns eight points (2g, 6a) during his 11 games with the U.S. National Under-17 Team this year ... Kevin McCarey has chipped in three goals in his first four games with the U.S. National Under-17 Team this season ... Grant Scott has handed our three assists in his first four games with the U.S. National Under-17 Team in the 2007-08 campaign ... Steven West has doled out two assists in his first four games with the U.S. National Under-17 Team this year ... Adam Murray stopped 47 of the 48 he shots he faced in back-to-back wins over Marquette (Jan. 19, 21) at the NAHL Showcase ... Team USA's three-game winning streak ties a season-high ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team has allowed just two goals in its last three contests ... The U.S. National Under-18 and Under-17 Teams have compiled 40 points in the NAHL North Division standings, good for fifth place ... Team USA is just two points behind fourth-place Marquette ... The top four teams get automatic berths to the NAHL playoffs.

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North American Hockey League Stories from January 21, 2008


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