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NAHL U.S. National Team

U.S. Nat'l Under-17 Team Travels to Slovakia to Compete in First Overseas International Event

February 7, 2007 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


THIS WEEK: The U.S. National Under-17 Team travels to Piestany, Slovakia, for the Under-18 Vlad Dzurilla Four Nations Tournament. Team USA will join host Slovakia to compete against national teams from Germany and Switzerland.

TEAM USA SCHEDULE

Tues., Feb. 6 vs. Slovakia (ex.) W, 4-1

Thurs., Feb. 8 vs. Germany 8:00 a.m. EST

Fri., Feb. 9 vs. Switzerland 8:00 a.m. EST

Sat., Feb. 10 vs. Slovakia 12:15 p.m. EST

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 116-70-8-5 (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: "We're tremendously excited to be playing in an international competition again. It will be a different experience on the road for us overseas and it will be a good learning opportunity for the kids. We'll have to make adjustments to our routine but it'll be something that will prove to be beneficial to us down the road."

U.S. NATIONAL UNDER-17 TEAM NOTES: The U.S. National Under-17 Team has added two forwards and two defensemen to its roster for the 2007 Vlad Dzurilla Four Nations Tournament. Defenseman Eric Ringel (Hinckley, Ohio) once again joins the Under-17 Team for tournament action. Ringel helped the National Team to a first-place finish at the 2007 Toys For Tots Four Nations Cup that was held in Ann Arbor, Mich., from Dec. 29-Jan. 5, 2007, where he recorded one goal in four games ... Philip McRae (Chesterfield, Mo.), a forward for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, rejoins the U.S. National Under-17 Team for the tournament. McRae recorded 21 points (10-11) in 58 games with the U.S. National Under-17 Team during the 2005-06 season ... Defenseman Seth Helgeson (Faribault, Minn.) and forward Nick Palmieri (Clinton, N.Y.) will make their first appearances with the U.S. National Under-17 Team at the tournament in Slovakia. Helgeson is a junior at Faribault (Minn.) High School, while Palmieri is in his second season with the Erie Otters of the OHL ... Forward Ryan Schnell (Cary, Ill.), the oldest member of Team USA, is making his second appearance at the Vlad Dzurilla event and his third trip to Piestany, Slovakia, in the past two seasons. Schnell also participated in the 2005 Under-17 Four Nations event in Slovakia ... Mike Sullivan (Marshfield, Mass.) joins the U.S. National Under-17 Team coaching staff for this event. Sullivan, who was the head coach of the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins from 2003-2006, previously served as an assistant coach with the U.S. Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Team at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy.

TOURNAMENT NOTES: The U.S. National Under-17 Team topped Slovakia by a score of 4-1 in an exhibition contest on Tuesday (Feb. 6) in Piestany ... The Under-18 Vlad Dzurilla Four Nations Tournament employs a round-robin format. The team with the best record through its three games will be crowned the tournament's champion ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team is competing against Under-18 squads from Slovakia, Germany, and Switzerland. These three national teams will go on to compete against the U.S. National Under-18 Team at the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship in Rauma and Tampere, Finland, this coming April ... The U.S. National Under-18 team lost to the Swiss National Under-18 Team by a score of 3-1 at the 2006 Under-18 Four Nations Tournament in Lulea, Sweden.

LAST WEEK: Led by goaltender Adam Murray (Anchorage, Alaska), who stopped 40 of the 40 shots he faced in his NTDP debut, the U.S. National Under-17 Team earned a 3-0 road victory over the Alpena IceDiggers on Thursday (Feb. 2).

UP NEXT: Following this week's tournament the U.S. National Under-17 Team will be off until Sunday, February 18, when it will host North American Hockey League North Division foe Alpena at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube (Ann Arbor, Mich.). The contest versus the IceDiggers has been moved from its original start time of 3:00 p.m. EST and will now be played at 7:00 p.m.

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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