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U.S. National Team

U.S. National Under-17 Team Finishes Season; Falls in Eastern Conference Final 3-1

May 5, 2018 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Erik Middendorf (Scottsdale, Ariz.) scored the lone goal for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-17 Team in a 5-1 loss against the Youngstown Phantoms in Game 4 of the United States Hockey League's Clark Cup Eastern Conference Final on Saturday at Covelli Centre.

Youngstown wins the series, 3-1, to advance to the USHL's Clark Cup Final.

"I thought Youngstown played a great series," head coach John Wroblewski (Neenah, Wis.) said after the game. "It was well drawn up and executed by their players."

The U17s finish the 2017-18 season with a record of 42-18-0-1.

The U17s got off to a good start, taking on 1-0 lead at 10:25 of the first period on Middendorf's team-leading sixth goal of the playoffs. Ryan Siedem (Madison, N.J.) pinched with the puck to the right corner in the Youngstown zone and fed the puck in front of the net to Middendorf, who scored on a re-direct.

Middendorf scored goals in six consecutive playoff games.

Dalton Messina - set up on a Max Ellis pass from the right circle across to the left - snapped a high shot past Team USA goaltender Cameron Rowe (Wilmette, Ill.) at 12:42 to tie the game.

At 14:59, Youngstown's Matt Barry found Mike Regush at the hash marks to give the Phantoms their first lead of the game. Barry scored the only goal of the second period, banking a shot from beyond the USA goal line off of Rowe's back to give Youngstown a 3-1 lead at 1:05.

Team USA tried to push the pace, but Phantoms goaltender Ivan Prosvetov stopped all 11 shots he faced in the second period.

Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.) had two excellent opportunities to score in the third period. With 6:07 remaining in the third period and Team USA trailing 3-1, Prosvetov stopped Zegras at the hashmarks with traffic. With 3:20 left Zegras rang a shot from the right circle off the crossbar.

With 3:11 left and a face-off in the Youngstown zone, Wroblewski called a timeout and pulled goaltender Rowe. Youngstown scored two goals on the empty net to seal the win - Eric Espositio at 18:25 and Chase Gresock at 18:47.

Team USA's Rowe made 19 saves in the game.

"I thought our guys gave everything they had. If you would've told me 12 months ago that we'd be in this spot a lot of people wouldn't have believed it," Wroblewski said. "I think we set a new bar for the NTDP and that's something these kids will realize one day; it's probably not today because they're all very disappointed but they should be proud."

NOTES: Both teams went 0-2 on the power play ... Team USA outshot Youngstown, 33-24 ... Team USA won its first ever USHL playoff game in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal on Saturday (April 21) defeating the Chicago Steel, 3-0 ... The U17s went further than any other U.S. National Team in USHL playoffs ... Team USA has made two previous trips to the USHL playoffs since entering the league ... Team USA made the playoffs during the 2010-11 season where they were swept in the first round by the Muskegon Lumberjacks (L, 2-0 and L, 5-2) ... Its most recent postseason experience was during the 2011-12 season when they were swept by the Dubuque Fighting Saints (L, 6-3 and L, 7-3) in the first round.

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