Friday, November 4, 2011

Smith leads Youth Olympic Team

Press Release

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Gold medal-winning coach Ben Smith (Gloucester, Mass.) will lead the U.S. Under-16 Boys' Select Team at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games from Jan. 13-22, 2012, in Innsbruck, Austria, it was announced today by USA Hockey.

Smith will take the reins of Team USA after more than two decades of experience working with USA Hockey. Smith led the U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team to three medals in his 10-year tenure as the head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team Program, including the first-ever gold medal awarded in the sport in 1998. On the men's side, Smith has served as head coach of the U.S. Men's Select Team on two occasions (1998, 2007), and has served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team (1988), the U.S. Men's National Team (1987, 1990) and the U.S. National Junior Team (1985-87).

The roster for Team USA was also announced today. All 17 players participated at the USA Hockey Boys' Select 15 Player Development Camp from July 15-21, 2011, in Rochester, N.Y.

The 17 players represent 11 states, with three players hailing from Michigan and Minnesota, while Missouri and New York each have two players represented. The U.S. roster includes nine forwards, six defenseman and two goaltenders.

The U.S. Under-16 Boys' Select Team will begin tournament play against Austria on Jan. 14 at 7:30 a.m. ET. A full schedule is below.

NOTES: Serving on the support staff is equipment manager Bob Webster and athletic trainer Stan Wong... The boys' hockey competition at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games will include teams from Austria, Canada, Finland, Russia and the United States.

Team USA 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games ScheduleJan. 13-22 • Innsbruck, Austria •Tyrolean Arena
DateOpponentTime (EST)
Sat., Jan. 14Austria7:30 a.m.
Sun., Jan 15Canada1 p.m.
Tues., Jan. 17Finland10:45 a.m.
Wed., Jan. 18Russia10:15 a.m.
Fri., Jan. 20Semifinal Game9:15 a.m.
 Semifinal Game1:45 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 21Third-Place Game9:45 a.m.
Sun., Jan. 22First-Place Game7:15 a.m.


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

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