USHL U.S. National Team

U.S. Under-18 Select Team Drops 6-3 Decision to Finland in Ivan Hlinka Tournament Opener

Published on August 8, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


PIESTANY, SLOVAKIA - Jordan Masters (Rochester, N.Y.) had a goal and an assist and Cristoval Nieves (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) added two assists, but the U.S. Under-18 Select Team fell to Finland, 6-3, in its first preliminary-round game of the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

"We were physical and attacked the net tonight," said Seth Appert, head coach of the U.S. Under-18 Select Team. "But we turned the puck over too much trying to make big plays, and Finland really took advantage of that."

Finland opened the scoring with a goal just 15 seconds into the first period. But Team USA responded quickly, as Masters notched a power-play goal just 35 seconds later.

The U.S. took a 2-1 lead at 8:58 of the first period when Nicholas Schilkey (Smiths Creek, Mich.) scored off of assists by Nieves and Masters. Team USA then extended its advantage to 3-1 when Luke Johnson (Grand Forks, N.D.) found the back of the net two minutes later.

Finland tied the game, 3-3, with two late first period goals, and then notched the lone goal of the second period to take a one-goal lead into the final frame. Team USA could not mount a comeback, as Finland scored again midway through the third and added an empty-net goal late.

Team USA will next face Russia tomorrow (Aug. 9), with puck drop slated for 8 a.m. EDT.

NOTES: For the complete U.S. Under-18 Select Team roster, click here ... The 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament includes teams from Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. Team USA finished in second place last year ... Live streaming of Team USA's games can be found here, while live scoring and stats from the event can be found here ... Seth Appert is serving as head coach, while Matt Herr and Matt Greason are serving as assistant coaches for the 2011 U.S. Under-18 Select Team.

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United States Hockey League Stories from August 8, 2011


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