U.S. falls in Jr. Camp finale

Press Release

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- Team USA dropped a 6-4 decision to Sweden this afternoon in its final international game of the 2011 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp.

The contest featured 22 of the 29 U.S. players currently participating in the camp and auditioning for a spot on the U.S. National Junior Team that will take part in the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2011-Jan. 5, 2012, in Calgary and Edmonton, Alta.

"I liked the way we played today, but we had a couple bounces that didn't go our way," said Dean Blais, head coach of the 2012 U.S. National Junior Team. "Overall, the camp was a success and we were able to see a lot of our players in game situations, which will help when we select our team in the coming months."

Sweden got on the board first five minutes into the contest, but Charlie Coyle (East Weymouth, Mass.) answered two minutes later to tie the game. Kenny Agostino (Flanders, N.J.) skated the puck up the left wing and found T.J. Tynan (Orland Park, Ill.) streaking to the net on a 3-on-2 rush. Tynan passed to an open Coyle, who scored from the backdoor.

After Sweden netted a shorthanded goal to end the first period, the U.S. rattled off two straight goals in the second period to reclaim the lead. Rocco Grimaldi (Rossmoor, Calif.) got things started on the power play with a blast from the right face-off dot that beat Sweden goalie Johan Mattsson at 5:53 of the second period.

Then, less than four minutes later, Seth Jones (Plano, Texas) fired a shot from the point that bounced through traffic and ended up on the stick of Coyle at the edge of the crease. With no angle to shoot, Coyle slid the puck to Agotino, who buried his shot to give the U.S. a 3-2 lead at 9:40 of the middle frame.

Sweden added a goal to tie the score, 3-3, before Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev.) unleashed a seeing-eye shot from the left hash mark that found the back of the net at 14:13 of the second period.

Team USA goalie John Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa.) made several spectacular saves in the second period, but Sweden's power play cashed in with under two minutes remaining to tie the game heading into the third period. Sweden took the lead five minutes into the third period and tacked on an empty net goal with 1:31 remaining to secure the victory.

Gibson made 29 saves in the loss, while Mattsson made 32 saves en route to the win.

NOTES: Kenny Agostino led Team USA at the 2011 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp with 10 points (3-7) in six games ... The 2012 U.S. National Junior Team will be selected in late December following a pre-tournament camp to be held in Alberta, Canada ... Dean Blais, head men's ice hockey coach at the University of Nebraska Omaha, will serve as head coach of the 2012 U.S. National Junior Team. He will be assisted by Scott Sandelin, head men's ice hockey coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth; Tom Ward, head ice hockey coach of the Shattuck-St. Mary's School's boys' prep team; and Joe Exter, assistant men's ice hockey coach at The Ohio State University ... Dan Bylsma, head coach of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins, and Mike Sullivan, assistant coach of the NHL's New York Rangers, participated in Lake Placid as camp coaches ... Jim Johannson, USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the third consecutive year. Tim Taylor (Guilford, Conn.), former U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team head coach and longtime Yale University men's ice hockey team head coach, is also serving his third straight year as Team USA's director of player personnel.

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)