POSTED: Saturday August 18th 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. Under-18 Select Team Defeats Czech Republic, 6-5, at Memorial of Ivan Hlinka
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Team USA Prevails in Shoot Out, 1-0, Over Tournament Co-Host
HODONIN, Czech Republic ? Goaltender Brady Hjelle (International Falls, Minn.) made three saves and Jordy Murray (Faribault, Minn.) notched the lone goal of the shoot out to help the U.S. Under-18 Select Team defeat the Czech Republic, 6-5, in the finale of the 2007 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament at Hodonin Arena. With the win, Team USA earned a fifth-place finish in the tournament.
?We were pleased with how the team really gelled together as this tournament went on,? said Roger Grillo (North Kingstown, R.I.), head coach of Team USA. ?We were disappointed with how we started, but the guys really pulled together and I am excited about the way we finished.?
The Czech Republic struck first in the opening stanza, but Team USA?s Philip McRae (Chesterfield, Mo.) notched his fourth power-play goal of the tournament to tie it, 1-1. The Czechs scored twice more before defenseman David Warsofsky?s (North Marshfield, Mass.) low slap shot from the left face-off circle beat Czech goaltender Jakub Sedlacek at 12:52 to narrow the gap, 3-2. After another Czech tally, Team USA forward AJ Jenks (Wolverine Lake, Mich.) brought his team back within one goal when he tapped home a rebound between the legs of Sedlacek, making the score 4-3.
In the second period, Mark Goggin (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) tied the game at 3:25, but Czech forward Tomas Dolezal beat Hjelle for his second goal of the game at 14:47 to give the Czech Republic a 5-4 advantage heading into the final frame.
With Team USA down a man, Craig Kitto (Ashburn, Va.) took a snap shot that sailed over Sedlacek?s right shoulder to tie the game, 5-5, at 1:14 in the third period. The score would remain tied to end regulation, sending the game to a four on four, five-minute overtime period.
After neither team was able to break the deadlock in overtime, the game had to be decided by a shoot out. Hjelle stopped all three Czech shooters he faced, including a glove save on Stepan Novotny on the Czech Republic?s second attempt. After McRae and Nate Dewhurst (Johnston, Iowa) were unable to score, it came down to Murray with the final attempt before the shoot out would go to a sudden death format. Murray streaked in on Sedlacek and fired a wrist shot under the outstretched glove hand of the Czech netminder and into the net to give Team USA the 6-5 victory.
Hjelle made 24 saves, including three in the overtime period, while earning the win.
NOTES: AJ Jenks was named Team USA?s Player of the Game ? Philip McRae led the team with six points (4-2) in the tournament ? 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.
GAME SUMMARY
Scoring By Period
USA 3-1-1-0-1—6
CZE 4-1-0-0-0—5
First Period ? Scoring: 1, CZE, Dolezal (Cesnak), 2:59; 2, USA, McRae (Carlson, Ness), 6:27 (pp); 3, CZE, Jezek (Stritasky, Stransky), 7:10; 4, CZE, Stritasky (Kania), 9:32, (4x3 pp); 5, USA, Warsofsky (Hall, Ness), 12:52; 6, CZE, Tornan (Kania), 16:17; 7, USA, Jenks (Mattson, Murray), 19:33. Penalties: CZE, Stoklasa (boarding), : 22; USA, Youso (charging), 3:39; CZE, Kania (holding the stick), 5:51; CZE, Rutta (tripping), 7:53; USA, Dewhurst (slashing), 8:08; USA, Myers (hooking), 9:11; USA, Murray (charging), 10:32; CZE, Klement (roughing), 10:32; USA, Kitto (slashing), 14:44.
Second Period ? Scoring: 8, USA, Goggin (Murray, Jenks), 3:25; 9, CZE, Dolezal (Muzik, Tomacek). Penalties: CZE, Tomacek (interference), 1:45; CZE, Tornan (hooking), 3:48; CZE, Jezek (delay of game), 5:20; USA, Dewhurst (slashing), 10:20; USA, Gardiner (delay of game), 11: 59; USA, Myers (charging), 12:49; CZE, Haffenrichter (holding), 17:29; USA, Murray (charging), 19:45.
Third Period ? Scoring: 10, USA, Kitto (Hall), 1:14 (sh). Penalties: USA, Cichy (hooking), 4:30; USA, Myers (roughing), 6:09; CZE, Stritesky (interference), 8: 05; USA, Jenks (delay of game), 10:26; USA, Jenks (charging), 14:23; CZE, Kousal (interference), 14:45.
OT Period ? Scoring: None. Penalties: None.
GWS ? Round 1: CZE, Stransky (saved); USA, McRae (saved); CZE, Novotny (saved); USA, Dewhurst (saved); CZE, Kovar (saved); USA, Murray (goal).
Shots By Period 1 2 3 OT GWS Total
USA 9 11 9 1 1 30
CZE 15 8 13 3 0 39
Goaltending (SH-SV) 1 2 3 OT GWS Total
USA, Crandall 16:17 14-10 x-x x-x x-x x-x 14-10
USA, Hjelle 48:43 1-1 8-7 13-13 3-3 0-0 25-24
CZE, Sedlacek 65:00 9-6 11-10 9-8 1-1 1-1 30-25
Power Play: USA 1-9; CZE 1-12
Penalties: USA 13-26; CZE 10-20
Team USA 2007 Under-18 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Results
August 14-18, 2007 ? Piestany, Slovakia & Hodonin, Czech Republic
Date Matchup Location Results
Aug. 12 Czech Republic (Ex.)Uhersky Brod, Czech Republic W, 5-4
Aug. 14 Russia Piestany, Slovakia L, 3-5
Aug. 15 Finland Piestany, Slovakia L, 3-5
Aug. 16 Slovakia Piestany, Slovakia W, 5-3
Aug. 18 Czech Republic+ Hodonin, Czech Rep. W, 6-5 (SO)
+ 5th Place Game
U.S. Under-17 Select Team
Tops Czech Republic, 5-1, in Exhibition Game
Team USA Posts Victory in Tune-Up for
2007 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament
STRAKONICE, Czech Republic.—The U.S. Under-17 Select Team defeated the Czech Republic, 5-1, here today in a tune-up for the 2007 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament. The tournament will be held from August 20-24 in Pribram and Strakonice, Czech Republic.
?This was a great night for us to get our feet wet in international competition,? said Jon Cooper (St. Louis, Mo.), head coach of Team USA. ?We had timely scoring and great goaltending, and that?s what really put us over the top tonight.?
Team USA got on the board first when Ryan Walters (Rosemount, Minn.) notched a goal at 8:02 of the first period. Brad Smith (Trenton, Mich.) extended Team USA?s lead to 2-0 when his slap shot from the blue line beat the Czech goaltender.
In the second stanza, Garret Taylor?s (San Diego, Calif.) pass found Smith who put the puck in the net for his second tally of the game at 4:47. Just 1:10 later, Jared Maetche (St. Cloud, Minn.) let a wrist shot go from the left face-off dot to give Team USA a 4-0 advantage heading into the final frame.
The Czechs scored their lone goal of the game at 4:26 of the third. Four minutes later, Steven Whitney (Reading, Mass.) found the back of the net after receiving a one-time pass from Zach Budish (Edina, Minn.) to account for the 5-1 final.
Goaltenders Brandon Maxwell (Winter Park, Fla.) and Matthew Skoff (McKees Rock, Pa.) combined for 40 saves in the victory.
The United States will open play in the 2007 Under-17 Five Nations tournament on Monday (Aug. 20) at noon (EDT) versus Slovakia in Pribram, Czech Republic.
NOTES: The 2007 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament will feature teams from the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States ? Four 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. ? Players were chosen from the 2007 USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp, which was held June 23-29 at the ESL Sports Centre in Rochester, N.Y., and featured many of America?s best hockey players born in 1991 ? Kyle Wallack (Wallingford, Conn.), who is an assistant coach for the Yale University men?s ice hockey team, is serving as the assistant coach for Team USA.
GAME SUMMARY
Scoring By Period
USA 2-2-1—5
CZE 0-0-1—1
First Period ? Scoring: 1, USA, Walters (Whitney), 8:02; 2, USA, Smith (Schmidt), 18:06 (pp). Penalties: USA, Phillips (tripping), 3:57; CZE, Soudek (hooking), 6:22; USA, Ramage (hooking), 7:40; USA, Ramage (hit to the head), 9:50; USA, Ramage (misconduct), 9:50; CZE, Krivohlavek (hooking), 9:58; USA, Phillips (slashing), 12:21; CZE, Honejhsek (hooking), 16:09.
Second Period ? Scoring: 3, USA, Smith (Taylor, McDermott), 4:47 (pp); 4, USA, Maetche (unassisted), 5:57. Penalties: CZE, Havlik (cross-checking), 4: 12; CZE, Soudek (hooking), 6:35; USA, Oliver (holding), 8:35; CZE, Kapec (hooking), 10:14; USA, Whitney (hooking), 12:02; CZE, Sedlak (tripping), 17:45.
Third Period ? Scoring: 5, CZE, Ondrej (unassisted), 4:26 (pp); 6, USA, Whitney (Budish), 8:26. Penalties: CZE, Sedlacek (hooking), :22; USA, Brickler (roughing), 1:11; CZE, Mikulastik (hooking), 1:43; USA, McDermott (roughing), 2:33; USA, Budish (kneeing), 6:17; USA, Oliver (interference), 9:50; CZE, Rachunek (interference), 14: 43; USA, Ramage (cross-checking), 15:46.
Shots By Period 1 2 3 Total
USA 16 10 6 32
CZE 12 13 16 41
Goaltending (SH-SV) 1 2 3 Total
USA, Maxwell, 30:18 12-12 7-7 x-x 19-19
USA, Skoff, 28:42 x-x 6-6 16-15 22-21
CZE, Kousal, 60:00 16-14 10-8 6-5 32-27
Power Play: USA 2-10; CZE 1-11
Penalties: USA 12-32; CZE 10-20
Team USA 2007 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament Schedule & Results
August 20-24, 2007 ? Pribram & Strakonice, Czech Republic
Date Opponent Location Time (local/EDT)
Aug. 18 Czech Republic (Ex.) Strakonice, Czech Republic W, 5-1
Aug. 20 Slovakia Pribram, Czech Republic 4:00 p.m./10: 00 a.m.
Aug. 21 Germany Strakonice, Czech Republic 6:00 p.m./12:00 p.m.
Aug. 22 Switzerland Strakonice, Czech Republic 6:00 p.m./12:00 p.m.
Aug. 24 Czech Republic Strakonice, Czech Republic 6:00 p.m./12:00 p.m.
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