Falls to Russia, 5-3, in Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Opener
Four Power-Play Goals Propel Russia Past Team USA
PIESTANY, Slovakia – The U.S. Under-18 Select Team fell to Russia, 5-3, here today in the opening game of the 2007 Under-18 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka at Zimny Stadium. Russia tallied four power-play goals in the win.
“We started a little flat, but got better as the game went on,” said Team USA Head Coach Roger Grillo (North Kingstown, R.I.). “While it was disappointing to lose the game, there were a lot of positives that we can take into the next game and the rest of the tournament.”
Russia’s Evgeni Gravchev netted his team’s only even-strength goal at the 2:03 mark of the first period to open the game’s scoring. Igor Golovkov added a power-play goal late in the period to give Russia a 2-0 advantage.
In the second frame, Russia extended its lead to 3-0 at 5:34 before Team USA got on the board. With a two-man advantage, Jordy Murray (Faribault, Minn.) sent a pass across the crease to Philip McRae (Chesterfield, Mo.), who tapped it past Russian goaltender Danila Alistratov at 10:00 to cut the deficit to two goals heading into the final stanza.
Russia took a 4-1 lead in the third period when Pavel Chernov circled the Team USA net and slid the puck between the legs of goalie Brady Hjelle (International Falls, Minn.) at 6:25. Nate Dewhurst (Johnston, Iowa) made it a 4-2 game when he notched a power-play goal with just 24 seconds remaining on the man advantage at 10:55. With traffic in front of the net, Alistratov dove for the puck, but Dewhurst got to it first and put the puck into the open net. After Russia notched another power-play goal at the 18:08 mark, McRae beat a Russian defender out of the corner and fired a shot with just 1:23 to play in the game. Alistratov made the initial save, but gave up a rebound to defenseman John Carlson (Colonia, N.J.), who fired the puck into the net to account for the 5-3 final.
Hjelle made 28 saves in the losing effort.
The U.S. Under-18 Select team returns to action tomorrow when it takes on Finland at 9 a.m. EDT at Zimny Stadium in Piestany, Slovakia.
NOTES: Prior to the game, Jordy Murray was elected team captain, while Philip McRae and John Carlson were named alternate captains … McRae (1-1--2) and Mike Cichy (New Hartford, Conn./0-2--2) lead Team USA with two points each … Skip Vallee, the U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia, spoke to the team in the locker room after watching the game. Vallee, originally from Vermont, played hockey at Williams College (Mass.) … Last August, at the 2006 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka, the U.S. Under-18 Select Team finished in second place with a record of 3-1-0 … Six members of Team USA were on the 2006 U.S. Under-17 Select Team that competed in the 2006 Three Nations Tournament held in Rochester, N.Y. ... Team members were chosen from the 2007 USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp, which was held July 7-13 at the National Hockey Center at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn., and featured many of America’s best hockey players born in 1990 ... The Under-18 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka was called the Junior World Cup until 2005.[/quote]
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3 (final)First Period
RUS: Grachev (Kulemin) 2:03
RUS: Golovkov (Ostapchuk, Loktionov) 16:14 (pp)
Penalties: RUS, Orlov (hooking), 2:55; RUS, Loktionov (interference), 3:58; USA, Warsofsky (hooking), 7:02; USA, Szydlowski (interference), 14:18; RUS, Biryukov (hooking), 17:21
Second Period
RUS: Chernov (Voinov, Lazarev) 5:34 (pp)
USA: McRae (Murray, Wideman) 10:00 (5x3 pp)
Penalties: USA, Jenks (tripping), 4: 33; RUS, Golovkov (hooking), 8:44; RUS, Kulikov (hooking), 9: 36; USA, Cichy (roughing), 11:45; USA, Cichy (roughing), 11:45; RUS, Chudinov (roughing), 11:45; RUS, Chudinov (roughing), 11: 45; USA, Jenks (boarding), 12:15; USA, Murray (elbowing) 14:29; USA, Carlson (charging), 15:32; RUS, Ostapchuk (charging), 19: 25
Third Period
RUS: Chernov (Filatov) 6:25 (pp)
USA: Dewhurst (Cichy, McRae) 10:55 (pp)
RUS: Biryukov (unassisted) 18:08 (pp)
USA: Carlson (Cichy) 18:37
Penalties: RUS, Team (delay of game),: 00; RUS, Filatov (slashing),:31; USA, Warsofsky (slashing), 5: 33; RUS, Kugryshev (charging), 6:52; RUS, Voinov (slashing), 8: 03; RUS, Kugryshev (hooking), 9:19; USA, Hall (clipping), 11: 31; USA, Jenks (slashing), 16:27; RUS, Lazarev (roughing), 19: 58; USA, Carlson (roughing), 19:58; RUS, Kulikov (roughing), 19: 58; USA, Murray (roughing), 19:58
Shots on Goal
RUS: 10-14-9-33
USA: 8-8-12-28
Goalies
RUS: Alistratov, USA: Hjelle
USA Hockey wrote:U.S. Under-18 Select Team
Falls to Finland, 5-3, at Memorial of Ivan Hlinka
Late Goals Lift Finland Past Team USA
PIESTANY, Slovakia – Despite Philip McRae’s (Chesterfield, Mo.) two-goal effort, the U.S. Under-18 Select Team fell to Finland, 5-3, here today in its second game of the 2007 Under-18 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka at Zimny Stadium.
Team USA jumped out to an early lead when McRae notched a power-play goal just 2:33 into the game. The goal came after McRae one-timed a pass from Aaron Ness (Roseau, Minn.) past Finnish goaltender Niko Sulkanen. Four minutes later, Tristan King (Elk River, Minn.) gave Team USA a 2-0 advantage when he intercepted a pass, faked a shot, circled behind the net and slid the puck into the open goal. Finland cut Team USA’s lead in half with a low slap shot that slipped past U.S. netminder Aaron Crandall (Lakeville, Minn.) at 13:18.
In the second period, using a two-man advantage, Finland tied the game at 2-2 when Teemu Eronen’s wrist shot from the blue line sailed over Crandall’s right shoulder at 5:38. Finland then took its first lead of the game at 9:44, but Team USA came back to tie it, 3-3, on a McRae slapshot with just 39 seconds left in the period during a U.S. power play.
Finland notched the go-ahead goal while up a man at 9:05 of the final stanza when Nico Manelius sent a shot from the blue line through a screen and over Crandall’s shoulder. With Crandall pulled in favor of an extra attacker at the end of the frame, Finland added an empty net goal to seal the 5-3 victory.
The U.S. Under-18 Select Team returns to action tomorrow when it takes on Slovakia at 1 p.m. EDT at Zimny Stadium in Piestany, Slovakia.
NOTES: Philip McRae leads the team with four points (3-1) and was named Team USA’s player of the game … Team USA out shot Finland by a 28-23 margin … Last August, at the 2006 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka, the U.S. Under-18 Select Team finished in second place with a record of 3-1-0 … Six members of Team USA were on the 2006 U.S. Under-17 Select Team that competed in the 2006 Three Nations Tournament held in Rochester, N.Y. ... Team members were chosen from the 2007 USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp, which was held July 7-13 at the National Hockey Center at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn., and featured many of America’s best hockey players born in 1990 ... The Under-18 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka was called the Junior World Cup until 2005 ... Seth Appert (Niskayuna, N.Y.), who is the head men’s ice hockey coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is serving as the assistant coach for Team USA.
5 3First Period (watch first period HERE*)
USA: McRae (Ness) 2:33 (pp)
USA: King (unassisted) 6:33
FIN: Sointu (Rask) 13:18
Penalties: FIN, Kivisto (interference), 1: 22; USA, Myers (holding), 9:44; FIN, Kivisto (broken stick), 10: 09; FIN, Hietikko (cross-checking), 19:30
Second Period (watch second period HERE*)
FIN: Eronen (Rajala) 5:38 (5x3 pp)
FIN: Hokka (Rask) 9:44
USA: McRae (Ness), 19:21 (pp)
Penalties: USA, Jenks (charging), 2:25; USA, Murray (boarding), 4:03; USA, Jenks (checking from behind), 4:33; USA, Jenks (misconduct), 4:33; FIN, Nakyva (holding), 10:54; FIN, Eronen (cross-checking), 11: 52; FIN, Eronen (interference), 18:50
Third Period (watch third period HERE*)
FIN: Manelius (Blomqvist, Myttynen) 9:05 (pp)
FIN: Hartikainen (unassisted) 19:10 (en)
Penalties: USA, Warsofsky (tripping), 8:45; USA, King (hooking), 12:04; USA, Myers (slashing), 14:15; FIN, Myttynen (slashing), 14:15; FIN, Nattinen (boarding), 16: 55; USA, Dewhurst (charging), 19:24; FIN, Stenroos (misconduct), 19:24
Shots on Goal
FIN: 3-11-9-23
USA: 9-15-4-28
Goalies
FIN: Sulkanen, USA: Crandall
* If you watch the webcast be forwarned, it is in Slovak. Here are players numbers and line combinations:
1 Aaron Crandall GK
30 Brady Hjelle GK
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2 John Carlson RD
5 Tyler Myers LD
17 Danny Mattson RW
14 A.J. Jenks CE
19 Jordy Murray LW
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3 Matt Donovan RD
6 Aaron Ness LD
10 Nate Dewhurst RW
18 Philip McRae CE
9 Mike Cichy LW
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8 Chris Wideman RD
7 David Warsofsky LD
16 Craig Kitto RW
12 Tim Hall CE
11 Mark Goggin LW
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4 Jake Gardiner RD
20 Shawn Szydlowski RW
21 Jake Youso CE
15 Tristan King LW
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