NAHL U.S. National Team

U.S. National Under-17 Team Looks to Continue Hot Streak

Published on February 28, 2007 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


THIS WEEK: The U.S. National Under-17 Team, which has lost only once in its last 10 games (7-1-2), will look to continue its hot streak against the Alpena IceDiggers of the North American Hockey League at the Northern Lights Arena in Alpena, Mich. Game times are set for 7 p.m. EST on Friday (Mar. 2) and Saturday (Mar. 3).

U.S. HEAD COACH JOHN HYNES: John Hynes is in his fourth season with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. He has amassed a career record with the NTDP of 122-70-10-5 (W-L-T-OTL). Hynes has earned a gold (2006) and a silver medal (2004) at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championships as a head coach and a gold (2002) as an assistant. In 2005, Hynes led the U.S. National Under-17 Team to a first-place NAHL North Division regular-season finish and a North Division playoff championship, marking the first time this double feat was accomplished by the NTDP. Prior to his arrival in Ann Arbor, he spent time as an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the University of Wisconsin. Hynes will serve as head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team that will compete at the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship Dec. 26, 2007 - Jan. 5, 2008, in Liberec and Pardubic, Czech Republic.

U.S. HEAD COACH JOHN HYNES ON THE WEEK AHEAD: " Our guys have really worked hard and we expect to be playing our best hockey at this point in the season. Lately, we have played very well as a team and we need to continue to do so in order to be successful in the final few games of the regular season."

U.S. NATIONAL UNDER-17 TEAM NOTES: The U.S. National Under-17 Team will play its final 10 NAHL contests on the road, including trips to Alpena, Mahoning Valley (twice), and Marquette ... Netminder Adam Murray (Anchorage, Alaska), who has won all four of his starts this season, will not travel with the team this weekend due to an upper-body injury ... Kelen Corkum (Newbury, Mass.) will also be out of the lineup again this weekend. Corkum has recorded six points (3-3) in 27 games this season.

GAME NOTES - ALPENA: Alpena is currently 15 points ahead of Team USA for second place in the NAHL North Division, but the U.S. has two games in hand ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team earned a 3-2 shootout victory in its last meeting with the IceDiggers on Feb. 18 in Ann Arbor ... Alpena's Todd Rudasill is currently ranks second in the NAHL with 74 points (26-48) in 51 games.

LAST WEEK: The U.S. National Under-17 Team swept the Traverse City North Stars in a three-game series at the Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich. Colin Moore (Medfield, Mass.) led the way offensively for Team USA with nine points (5-4) in the three-game set. Murray backstopped Team USA to 5-1 and 7-2 victories on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 23-24) and Michael Clemente (Great Falls, Va.) made 28 stops on Sunday en route to a 9-4 victory over the North Stars.

TOP HONORS: Colin Moore was named the NAHL North Division Player of the Week for his performance last weekend in Traverse City. Included in his nine-point weekend was a natural hat trick in the second period on Sunday (Feb. 25) during Team USA's 9-4 win. Moore is the first NTDP player to earn a Player of the Week honor this season.

UP NEXT: The Under-17 Team will have a weekend off (March 9-11) before traveling to Boardman, Ohio to take on the NAHL North-Division leading Mahoning Valley Phantoms on Friday and Saturday (March 16-17) at the Boardman Ice Zone. Game time is set for 7 p.m. EST for both contests.

ON THE BIG STAGE: The U.S. National Under-17 Team will take on the NAHL's St. Louis Bandits on Tuesday, April 3, in the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. Opening faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CDT. The game is a prelude to the NCAA Men's Frozen Four that will take place in the Scottrade Center on April 5 & 7. The Scottrade Center seats more than 21,000 fans and is home to the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues. Tickets may be purchased by calling 636-536-4882 or at the door the night of the game. The game will not count in the NAHL standings as the NAHL regular season comes to a close on Sunday, April 1. The NAHL playoffs begin on Thursday, April 5.

ABOUT THE NTDP: Founded in 1996, USA Hockey's National Team Development Program was created to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. National Teams and success in their future hockey careers. Its efforts focus not only on high-caliber participation on the ice, but creating well-rounded individuals off the ice. Located in Ann Arbor, Mich., the 46 players in the program are split into two squads - the U.S. National Under-18 and Under-17 Teams. In the eight years NTDP players have been eligible for the draft, 124 players have been selected, including the number one overall selection in both 2000 (Rick DiPietro) and 2006 (Erik Johnson).

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North American Hockey League Stories from February 28, 2007


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