USHL U.S. National Team

U.S. Under-17 Select Team Defeats Czech Republic, 5-1, in U17 Five Nations Opener

Published on August 9, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


ANN ARBOR, Mich. - After scoring three first-period goals, the U.S. Under-17 Select Team held on for a 5-1 victory over the Czech Republic in its opening game of the 2011 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament.

Michael Downing (Canton, Mich.), Adam Erne (North Branford, Conn.), and Gabe Guertler (Plantation, Fla.) each had a goal and an assist for Team USA in the victory.

"We did a lot of good things on the ice to take the early lead," said Bob Corkum, head coach of the U.S. Under-17 Select Team. "The kids came out fired up and our goaltender played great."

The U.S. jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead when Erne scored just over one minute into the opening period off of an assist by Guertler. Less than two minutes later, Downing made the score 2-0 with a power-play tally. Finally, Guertler scored a goal of his own to give Team USA a three-goal edge after one.

Connor Clifton (Matawan, N.J.) extended Team USA's lead to 4-0 with the game's lone second-period marker. Then, after the Czech Republic notched a power-play tally early in the third period, Ryan Siroky (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) connected with the U.S. on the man advantage midway through the frame to close out the scoring.

U.S. goalie Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.) turned aside 34 shots in the win, while Czech Republic goaltender Pavel Jekel stopped 27 shots in a losing effort.

The U.S. will next face Germany tomorrow (Aug. 10), with puck drop slated for 7 p.m. EDT.

NOTES: Andrew Oglevie (Fullerton, Calif.) logged two assists for Team USA ... The U.S. went 2-for-5 on the power play, while the Czech Republic was 1-for-8 with the man advantage ... The U.S. Under-17 Select Team roster can be found here ... The 2011 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament includes teams from the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States competing in a round-robin format ... FASTHockey.com will stream all games from the tournament live and on demand, while live scoring and stats can be found at USAHockey.com ... Tickets for the event can be ordered by calling the Ann Arbor Ice Cube box office at 734-327-9251 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. EDT ... Bob Corkum is serving as head coach, while Pat Mikesch is serving as assistant coach for the 2011 U.S. Under-17 Select Team.

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United States Hockey League Stories from August 9, 2011


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