USHL U.S. National Team

U.S. National Under-17 Team Falls to Russia, 7-4, in Championship Game of World Under-17 Challenge

Published on January 4, 2012 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


WINDSOR, Ont. - Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.) had one goal and one assist each, as the U.S. National Under-17 Team fell to Russia, 7-4, in the championship game of the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge here tonight at the WFCU Centre. With the defeat, Team USA finished the tournament with a 4-0-0-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record and placed second in the ten-team tournament for the second straight year.

"The effort was there, but fatigue was a factor tonight," said Don Granato, head coach of the U.S. National Under-17 Team. "We had a great experience here at this tournament and will continue to grow as a team moving forward."

Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) opened scoring at 8:38 of the first frame when he chipped in a rebound shot by Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.). Kelleher made a quick move to his left to shake the Russian defender and create the opportunity in front of the net. Steven Santini (Mahopac, N.Y.) collected the second assist on the goal. Team USA goaltender Hunter Miska (North Branch, Minn.) turned aside 10 shots in the period as the U.S. went into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead.

Russia notched two straight goals, the first tally shorthanded, at 12:04 and 15:07 of the second stanza to capture the lead. Team USA answered on the power play when Butcher wristed a shot from just inside the blue line. Keaton Thompson (Devils Lake, N.D.) and Compher registered assists on the goal. Russia regained the lead late in the period when a puck deflected off a U.S. defenseman's skate and over Miska's shoulder.

A penalty shot goal while shorthanded at 3:20 of the final frame increased Russia's lead to 4-2. Russia added another tally to go up by three goals at 8:26. Team USA responded on the power play when Scott Savage (San Clemente, Calif.) sent a cross-ice pass to Butcher, who found Compher open in the left faceoff circle. Compher snapped a shot past Russian goaltender Nikita Serebryakov for the goal. With just over two minutes remaining in regulation, Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) made it a one-goal game with a tip-in tally. Kelleher earned his second assist of the night on the play.

Down one goal, Team USA looked to complete the comeback and opted to pull its goalie in favor of an extra attacker. But Russia notched two empty-net goals in the final minute of play to secure the win, 7-4.

Miska made 27 saves in the loss for the U.S., while Serebryakov stopped 45 shots in the victory for Russia.

NOTES: John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn.) was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... The U.S. went 2-for-7 on the power play, while Russia went 0-for-2 with the man advantage ... Team USA recorded 49 shots on goal, while Russia had 34 ... Gage Ausmus (E. Grand Forks, Minn.) and J.T. Compher were named to the touranment all-star team ... For Team USA's full roster, click here ... The 2012 World Under-17 Challenge includes two pools of five teams. Pool A consists of teams from Canada Atlantic, Germany, Canada Quebec, Canada Ontario and Sweden. Pool B consists of teams from the Czech Republic, Canada Pacific, Russia, Canada West and the United States ... Exclusive videos will be posted on the USA Hockey YouTube channel under the World Under-17 Challenge playlist ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with #U17CHAL ... All games during the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge will be available via live webcast at FASTHockey.com ... For additional coverage, visit USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Facebook page ... The U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams train with The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary new software program released on October 1, 2010 that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com.

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United States Hockey League Stories from January 4, 2012


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