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NAHL U.S. National Team

U.S. Nat'l Under-17 Team Travels To The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan To Take On Rangers

October 11, 2006 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


THIS WEEK: The U.S. National Under-17 Team will continue its season as it travels north to visit the newest member of the North American Hockey League, the Marquette (Mich.) Rangers, on Friday (Oct. 13) at 7 p.m. EDT and Saturday (Oct. 14) at 4 p.m EDT. Both games will be played at the Lakeview Arena in Marquette, Mich.

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 105-53-2-8 (W-L-OTL-T). 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.

U.S. HEAD COACH JOHN HYNES ON THE WEEKEND AHEAD: "Our execution needs to be consistent for 60 minutes of play. This week we are continuing to work on our details as individuals and as a team. The weekend in Marquette will give us the opportunity to play in an adverse road environment against a formidable opponent in the Rangers."

GAME NOTES: This will be the first-ever meeting between the U.S. National Under-17 Team and the Marquette Rangers ... The Rangers have four wins and four losses through eight games this season, including a 1-2 record at Lakeview Arena ... U.S. National Under-18 Team alumnus Steve Sperry (Southlake, Texas/ 2004-06) is playing for Marquette this season. Through eight games, Sperry has recorded four assists for the Rangers ... Marquette Head Coach Lee Mendelson spent time with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program as an assistant coach during the 2002-03 campaign ... U.S. forward Kelen Corkum (Newbury, Mass.) will not play this weekend due to injury.

U.S. NATIONAL UNDER-17 TEAM NOTES: Forward Justin Florek (Marquette, Mich.) will return to his hometown this week when the U.S. National Under-17 team takes on Rangers. The Marquette, Mich., native played for the Marquette Electricians (Midget AAA) in 2005-06 ... The 2006-07 U.S. National Under-17 Team is comprised of 23 players from 10 different states. Minnesota is this year's leader in producing new NTDP players with five. Massachusetts and Michigan are tied for second with each state being the home of four U.S. National Under-17 Team players ... The 2005-06 U.S. National Under-17 Team started the season 0-6-0-0 before going on to win the NAHL north division title.

LAST WEEK: The U.S. National Under-17 Team dropped a pair of road contests to the Alpena (Mich.) Ice Diggers of the North American Hockey League. Team USA was only able to find the back of the net three times on 58 shots during the weekend series.

Friday night's game (Oct. 6) saw Team USA goaltender Nick Maricic (Alta Loma, Calif.) battle for 60 minutes against an Alpena offense that applied pressure all evening. Maricic made 45 saves in a losing effort as the Under-17 Team fell by a score of 4-2 at the Northern Lights Arena in Alpena, Mich.

Saturday's contest (Oct. 7) was dominated by the IceDiggers' special teams, which converted five power-play opportunities en route to a 6-1 victory. "We had a hard time getting on track tonight," said John Hynes (Warwick, R.I.), head coach of Team USA. "The penalties we took put us behind early and continued to hurt us all night. I give Alpena credit for capitalizing on the opportunities they had tonight."

UP NEXT: The U.S. National Under-17 Team will return home for a game versus the Mahoning Valley Phantoms on Friday, October 20. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. EDT. This will mark the third contest between the two clubs at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube (Ann Arbor, Mich.) during the 2006 season, with the Phantoms winning the previous two matchups.

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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