Friday, August 21, 2009

U.S. tops Switzerland

Press Release

FUSSEN, Germany - The U.S. Under-17 Select Team scored twice shorthanded and once on the power play as it topped Switzerland, 4-3, at the 2009 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament here today.


Austin Wuthrich's (Anchorage, Alaska) shorthanded goal gave Team USA a 1-0 lead at 8:04 of the first period. Wuthrich collected the puck along the boards and fired a slap shot that beat the goaltender over his glove.


After Switzerland tied the game on a power play with less than three minutes remaining in the opening frame, Christian Horn (Plymouth, Minn.) gave the U.S. a 2-1 advantage with 21 seconds remaining in the period. Connor Murphy (Dublin, Ohio) sent a long pass off the boards that Horn shot over Swiss netminder Luca Botthauser's glove for the shorthanded tally.


Switzerland tied the game at 2:46 of the second period before Cason Hohmann's (Plymouth, Mich.) slap shot at 6:25 went off the post and into the back of the net. Defensemen Brian Cooper (Anchorage, Alaska) and Dan Molenaar (Eden Prairie, Minn) assisted on the power-play goal.


Cooper extended Team USA's lead to 4-2 by knocking in a rebound off of Seth Swenson's (Parker, Colo.) initial shot at 14:30 of the second period.


Switzerland scored once more with less than five minutes remaining in the second period to account for the 4-3 final.


U.S. netminder Jay Williams (McLean, Va.) recorded 23 saves in the winning effort.


The U.S. Under-17 Select Team plays the Czech Republic in its third game on Friday (Aug. 21) at 9 a.m. EDT in Fussen, Germany.

(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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