Friday, April 10, 2009

USA has no problem with Norway

Press Release

FARGO, N.D. - The U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team blanked Norway, 8-0, here tonight at the Urban Plains Center in its opening game at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Team. Kevin Lynch (Grosse Pointe, Mich./2-1--3) and Jeremy Morin (Auburn, N.Y./1-2--3) each collected three points to pace Team USA.

Kenny Ryan (Franklin Village, Mich.) staked the U.S. to a 1-0 lead at 8:32 of the opening frame after he took Ryan Bourque's (Boxford, Mass.) cross-ice feed, skated in down the right side and wired a wrist shot into the top right corner of the net. Bourque notched another assist when he zipped a pass to a charging A.J. Treais (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), who tapped the puck through the legs of netminder Lars Volden at 12:21.

Team USA allowed just four shots in the opening stanza, all of which were turned aside by goaltender Adam Murray (Anchorage, Alaska).In the second frame, Team USA extended its advantage to 3-0 at 16:21 on the power play after Cam Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich.) skated through the Norwegian defense and feathered a pass to Matthew Nieto (Long Beach, Calif.) who snapped the puck through Volden. Lynch and Jerry D'Amigo (Binghamton, N.Y.) tallied just 33 seconds apart to make it 5-0. Lynch's goal came after he jammed home a rebound off of Morin's first chance at 19:13. Morin added another helper when he fed D'Amigo who ripped the puck past Volden's outstretched blocker from the left faceoff circle.

Lynch netted his second goal after he tapped the puck just across the goal line off of a rebound in front at 7:07 of the third to make it 6-0. Just 45 seconds later Chris Brown (Flower Mound, Texas) found Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev.), who deked to his backhand and roofed a shot past the flailing glove of Volden. Morin capped the scoring with a power-play goal at 8:50 when he one-timed a shot past Volden from the left faceoff circle.Murray recorded 15 saves to earn the shutout win.The U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team returns to action on Saturday when it meets Finland at 7:30 p.m. CST.

NOTES:A.J. Treais was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... Team USA out shot Norway by a 65-16 margin ... In addition to Kevin Lynch and Jeremy Morin, three other U.S. players recorded multi-point efforts, including Cam Fowler (0-2--2), Jerry D'Amigo (1-1--2) and Ryan Bourque (0-2--2) ... Late in the third period, netminder Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.) relieved Adam Murray (Anchorage, Alaska) for 58 seconds, making one save. Murray returned to the net at the next whistle to close out the game ... Tonight's contest represented the first time the U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team has played on home soil in an IIHF World Under-18 Championship ... Team USA last faced Norway in the first-ever World U18 Championship in 1999 in Fussen, Germany. The U.S. won that game, 10-2 ... The U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team has earned a medal in each of the last five IIHF World Under-18 Championships, including the gold (2005, 2006), silver (2004, 2007) and the bronze (2008). Team USA also captured the gold at the 2002 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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