NAHL U.S. National Team

U.S. National Under-17 Team Tops Marquette, 3-2, in Overtime

Published on November 30, 2007 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


MARQUETTE, Mich. - A power-play goal from Kyle Palmieri (Montvale, N.J.) 49 seconds into overtime vaulted the U.S. National Under-17 Team to a 3-2 victory over the Marquette Rangers in North American Hockey League competition Friday night at Lakeview Arena. Brandon Maxwell (Winter Park, Fla.) stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced in net for Team USA, and improved to 5-5-0 on the season.

"The team played hard tonight, and we were able to cash in on the power play when we needed to," said Ron Rolston, head coach of the U.S. National Under-17 Team. "It was a good all-around effort, and now our challenge is to play an even better game tomorrow night."

Derek Grogan scored the first goal of the night for Marquette at 4:45 of the opening period.

Marquette held Team USA held off the scoreboard during a 5x3 power play a little over four minutes later, but the visitors tied the game up with a goal at 13:46 of the stanza. Ryan Bourque (Boxford, Mass.) notched his second shorthanded goal of the season off assists from Beau Schmitz (Howell, Mich.) and netminder Brandon Maxwell.

Jeremy Morin (Auburn, N.Y.) netted his team-leading 20th goal of the year, unassisted, at the 6:58 mark of the second frame to give Team USA its first lead of the evening.

Marquette tied the score at two apiece just over a minute later as Josh Kesler tallied for the home team.

Team USA had a 5x3 power play midway through the period, but its attempt came up short, and the the score remained 2-2 heading into the second intermission.

Both teams fired nine shots on goal in the third period, but each goaltender was perfect between the pipes.

"Brandon Maxwell was exceptional in net all night, and he made several huge saves in the third period," said Rolston. "He certainly gave us the chance to win tonight."

Palmieri chipped in his second game-winning marker, and 12th overall goal of the 2007-08 campaign, thanks to helpers from Kevin Lynch (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and Nick Mattson (Chanhassen, Mich.).

Team USA finished with a 42-30 shot advantage.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team (11-13-1) and Marquette (14-8-1) play the rubber match of their two-game series tomorrow night at Lakeview Arena. Opening faceoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET.

NOTES: Brandon Maxwell's assist was his first of the season ... Team USA went 1-for-7 on the power play, compared to an 0-for-7 mark for Marquette ... Three Stars: 1) USA, Kyle Palmieri; 2) USA, Jeremy Morin; 3) MAR, Christian.

Check out the U.S. National Team Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



North American Hockey League Stories from November 30, 2007


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central