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NAHL U.S. National Team

U.S. Nat'l Under-18 Team Downs Texas, 11-1

September 14, 2006 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


BLAINE, Minn. - An eight goal second period led the U.S. National Under-18 Team (2-0-0) past the Texas Tornado by the score of 11-1 tonight in the second game in the North American Hockey League Showcase at Schwann's Super Rink. Colin Wilson (Greenwich, Conn.) led the way offensively for Team USA with two goals and one assist.

The U.S. National Under-18 Team got on the board first when Jimmy Hayes (Dorchester, Mass.) walked out of the offensive corner to the high slot area and buried a wrist shot into the top left corner of the net to give the U.S. the 1-0 advantage 15 minutes into the opening frame. U.S. forward Matt Rust (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) gave Team USA the two goal advantage 2:24 later when he beat Tornado net minder Corson Cramer off a perfect feed from Ryan Hayes (Syracuse, N.Y.).

Early and often was the theme for the U.S. offensively in the second period. Defenseman Joe Lavin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) blasted a one-timer feed from partner Kevin Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, N.Y.) 25 seconds into the period followed by A.J. Sturges' second goal of the season at 1:11. U.S. forward Ryan Schnell (Cary, Ill.) followed with the third power-play goal of the period to give Team USA the 5-0 advantage 22:51 into the game. Mike Cieslak (Penfield, N.Y.) snapped a wrist shot just under the crossbar after a perfect face-off win by Wilson to make it a six goal spread. Wilson notched a goal of his own 27 seconds later on a back-door feed from Cieslak. Texas scored its lone goal 6:14 into the second period on the power-play to make it a 7-1 contest. Jimmy Hayes notched his second tally of the game to stretch the U.S. lead to 8-1 with 12:51 still remaining in the second period. Teddy Ruth (Naperville, Ill.) notched his first goal of the season when he blasted a point shot past the new Tornado net minder Brendan Dejardins followed by Wilson's second marker of the night to give Team USA the 10-1 advantage after two periods.

In the final frame Ian Cole (Ann Arbor, Mich.) scored the lone goal of the period on a perfect shot just under the cross bar, over the shoulder of Desjardins with 14 seconds remaining to give Team USA the 11-1 victory. U.S. net minder Josh Unice (Toledo, Ohio) stopped 27 shots to earn his first victory of the season.

The U.S. National Under-18 Team will face the North Iowa Outlaws tomorrow night at 5:00 p.m. (cst) in the third match-up of the four game trip for Team USA.

NOTES: For the second consecutive season, U.S. Hockey Legend and South St. Paul, Minn., native Phil Housley has volunteered to help instruct the defense corps for Team USA at the NAHL Showcase. Housley was a seven-time member of the U.S. Men's National Team (1982, 1986, 1989, 1996, 2000, 2001 and 2003) and earned a silver medal with the U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. ... The four-day NAHL Showcase is a yearly event consisting of all 17 NAHL clubs competing in regular season games against non-divisional opponents at Schwann's Super Rink.

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