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United States National Under Eighteen Team Set For Pair of NCAA Opponents

December 10, 2008 - North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release


THIS WEEK: The U.S. National Under-17 Team returns home for a two-game set against NAHL North Division rival Mahoning Valley Phantoms on December 12th and 13th. Both games are set to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET., at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. The U.S. National Under-18 Team has a home game on Thursday, December 11, against Fredonia State University at 7:30 p.m. Two days later, the squad heads to Marquette, Mich., for a 7:35 p.m. game against Northern Michigan University. The game will be played at the Berry Events Center.

UNDER-18 HEAD COACH RON ROLSTON: Ron Rolston is in his fifth year as a head coach with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. He has amassed a career record of 165-97-7-16 (W-L-T-OTL).

UNDER-17 HEAD COACH JOHN HYNES: John Hynes is in his sixth year as a head coach with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. He has amassed a career record of 187-104-9-14 (W-L-T-OTL).

U.S. NAT'L U-18 TEAM NOTES: Jeremy Morin (Auburn, N.Y./16-6--22) owns the team lead in points with 22. He also paces the team in goals with 16. He is averaging a point per game through 22 games played ... Drew Shore (Denver, Colo.) is second on the team with 19 points (8-11) ... Cam Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich./4-13--17) leads the team in assists with 13. He also paces all defensemen in points ... Kyle Palmieri (Montvale, N.J./9-8--17) has notched seven points in the team's last three games.

U.S. NAT'L U-17 TEAM NOTES: Matthew Nieto (Long Beach, Calif./8-12--20) currently leads the team with 20 points. He also owns a team best with 12 assists and is averaging a point per game ... Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev./10-3--13) and Luke Moffatt (Paradise Valley, Ariz./10-3--13) are currently tied for the team lead in goals with ten each ... Will Yanakeff (Jerome, Mich.) and Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.) have combined for five shutouts, with Yanakeff recording three of them. Yanakeff has a 2.36 goals-against average and .889 save percentage for the season, while Campbell has the team leads in goals-against average and save percentage at 2.16 and .902, respectively.

NTDP LENDS A HELPING HAND: USA Hockey's National Team Development Program is once again joining forces with The Salvation Army and WAAM Talk 1600 for the Second Annual Angel Tree Toy Drive. Bins are set up inside the Ann Arbor Ice Cube to collect new unwrapped toys for those less fortunate this holiday season. Fans who attend the games at the Cube this week will receive half-price admission when they bring a new, unwrapped toy.

U17s vs. MAHONING VALLEY: Both NTDP squads have combined for a 13-9-2 record, good for third place in the NAHL North Division ... The Phantoms are currently second in the division with a 15-5-2 record ... This weekend's games will be Team USA's fifth and sixth meetings against Mahoning Valley this season ... The U-17s won the first matchup on October 24 by the score of 4-2. The Phantoms were victorious in the next three.

U18s vs. FREDONIA STATE: The Under-18 Team is 4-0-0 against NCAA Division III opponents this season ... Thursday's game marks the first ever meeting between Team USA and Fredonia State.

U18s at NORTHERN MICHIGAN: Team USA is 4-5-1 against Division I opponents this year ... Northern Michigan is a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association ... The two teams have met five times previously. The U18s hold a 1-3-1 record against the Wildcats. In the last meeting, Team USA was victorious by the score of 5-2. For the all-time results, see page 3.

UP NEXT: The Under-17 Team plays a two-game set against NAHL South Division opponent, Springfield Jr. Blues, on December 19-20 at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. Both games are set to begin at 7:00 p.m. The U-18s head to East Lansing, Mich., on Tuesday, December 16, for a 7:05 p.m. game against Michigan State University. On Friday, December 19, they will be in Grand Forks, N.D., for a 7:37 p.m. ET game against the University of North Dakota.

NTDP AT WORLD JUNIORS: Thirteen former NTDP players have been named to the U.S. National Junior Team that will compete at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Ottawa, Ontario, December 26, 2008-January 5, 2009 ... Ron Rolston, head coach of the U.S. National Under-18 Team at the NTDP, will lead the U.S. National Junior Team at the event. This is his second stint at the helm of the squad. He guided Team USA to the bronze medal at the 2007 World Junior Championship in Leksand, Sweden ... NTDP alums included on the roster are netminder Josh Unice (Holland, Ohio); defensemen Ian Cole (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Cade Fairchild (Duluth, Minn.), Teddy Ruth (Naperville, Ill.) and Kevin Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, N.Y.); and forwards Jimmy Hayes (Dorchester, Mass.), Mike Hoeffel (North Oaks, Minn.), Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Jim O'Brien (Maplewood, Minn.), Matt Rust (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Jordan Schroeder (Prior Lake, Minn.), James vanRiemsdyk (Middletown, N.J.) and Colin Wilson (Greenwich, Conn.).

NTDP IN THE NHL: As of today, a total of 41 National Team Development Program alumni have suited up in at least one National Hockey League game in 2008-09 ... Phil Kessel (2003-05) ranks third in the NHL with 17 goals for the Boston Bruins ... Patrick Kane (2004-06) of the Chicago Blackhawks sits in seventh in the NHL and first among all American-born players with 32 points (12-20) ... Nathan Gerbe (2003-05/Buffalo Sabres) and Joey Crabb (1999-2001/Atlanta Thrashers) each made their NHL Debuts last week, while Tim Wallace (2000-02/Pittsburgh Penguins) is set to make his NHL debut tonight.

NTDP IN THE NCAA: The National Team Development Program has produced nearly 300 NCAA ice hockey players in its 12-year history including three Hobey Baker Memorial Award Winners and 25 All-Americans ... Ryan Stoa (2003-05) leads the University of Minnesota with 20 points (11-9) ... Jordan Schroeder's (2006-08/Univ. of Minnesota) 19 points (7-12) leads the nation's freshmen ... The University of New Hampshire's James vanRiemsdyk (2005-07) is pacing the Wildcats with 21 points (8-13) ... David Wohlberg (2006-08) of the University of Michigan was named Central Collegiate Hockey Association Offensive Player of the Week for the week on December 8 ... University of Notre Dame goaltender Jordan Pearce (2002-04) has helped backstop the Fighting Irish to a No. 1 ranking in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll. Pearce is 11-3-2 with a 1.65 GAA and .937 save percentage.

HOCKEY WEEKEND ACROSS AMERICA: The second annual Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by Reebok -- a three-day nationwide celebration of the sport of hockey -- will take place Feb. 13-15, 2009. Each of the three days associated with Hockey Weekend Across America has a theme, including Wear Your Favorite Hockey Jersey on Friday, Bring a Friend to the Rink on Saturday and Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes on Sunday. rial for download, including the event logo and poster. For more information on Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by Reebok visit HockeyWeekendAcrossAmerica.com.

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 10 years NTDP players have been eligible for the draft, 152 players have been selected, including the number one overall selection in 2000 (Rick DiPietro), 2006 (Erik Johnson) and 2007 (Patrick Kane).

-In 2007-08, 44 NTDP alumni appeared in at least one game in the National Hockey League.

-Patrick Kane (2004-06) became the first NTDP alumnus to earn the National Hockey League's Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie in 2007-08.

-Kevin Porter (2002-04), of the University of Michigan, joined Jordan Leopold (1997-98) and Matt Carle (2000-02) as the third NTDP alumnus to win the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey's top player in 2007-08.

-In the 12-year history of the National Team Development Program, players from 28 states have donned the Team USA uniform. This season 18 different states are represented between the U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams.

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