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NAHL U.S. National Team

U.S. Nat'l Under-18 Team Tops Germany, 9-1

April 13, 2007 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


RAUMA, Finland - Led by a five-goal first period, the U.S. National Under-18 Team topped Germany by a 9-1 score today in its second game at the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship at Rauma Aijanuso. Matt Rust (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Jordan Schroeder (Lakeville, Minn.) and Ian Cole (Ann Arbor, Mich.) tallied two goals apiece and netminder Josh Unice (Toledo, Ohio) turned aside 32-of-33 shots to earn the victory for Team USA.

Rust opened the scoring 3:26 into the game when he took a chip pass from Brennan Vargas (Coon Rapids, Minn.) at the top of the German zone, walked in all alone and put a backhand shot under German netminder Andreas Tanzer's glove. Team USA gained a 2-0 lead during a power-play opportunity 3:14 later when Schroeder split the German defense at the blue line and beat Tanzer with a move to his backhand.

Team USA scored three goals within a 58-second span to extend its lead to 5-0 before the first intermission. Ryan Hayes (Syracuse, N.Y.) found a cutting Cole, who buried the puck into the top left corner of the net at 17:28. Rust then notched his second goal of the period when he corralled the rebound of a C.J. Severyn (Beaver, Pa.) attempt and put a shot past a sprawling Tanzer at 17:41, while Cade Fairchild (Duluth, Minn.) made it a five-goal contest at 18: 26.

Germany got on the scoreboard early in the middle stanza when Alexander Oblinger buried a shot from the top of the right circle at 5:54. Team USA struck back 1:29 later when Schroeder tipped a James vanRiemsdyk (Middletown, N.J.) shot past Tanzer during a U.S. power play. John Albert (Concord, Ohio) closed out the period's scoring when he beat a German defenseman and put a snap shot to the far side of the net at 9:06 to give Team USA a 7-1 lead.

The United States added another pair of power-play goals in the final frame to account for the 9-1 final score. Cole tallied his second goal of the game at the 9:14 mark when he walked in from the left point and beat German goaltender Timo Pielmeier, who replaced Tanzer midway through the second period. Jimmy Hayes (Dorchester, Mass.) tallied the game's final goal when buried a loose puck in front of the German net with 9:39 remaining in the game.

The U.S. National Under-18 Team went 4-for-9 with the man advantage, while Germany was scoreless in eight attempts on the power play.

"We received a good effort throughout the line-up today," said Ron Rolston, head coach of Team USA. "Today's game again showed how important special teams are in this tournament."

Following a day off tomorrow, the U.S. National Under-18 Team will face Canada on Sunday (April 15) at 11:30 a.m. EDT in its third of four preliminary-round contests.

NOTES: Rust was named Best Player of the Game for Team USA ... The United States is now 3-2-0 versus Germany in five meetings at the IIHF World Under-18 Championships.

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