Lee leads Team White to Victory

Press Release

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Goaltender Mike Lee (Roseau, Minn.) made 33 saves and allowed just one goal in 60 minutes as Team White defeated Team Blue, 2-1, here tonight at the second intrasquad game of the 2009 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp.

Team White successfully defended six opening period shorthanded situations due in large part to the goaltending of Lee, who surrendered few rebounds throughout the night. Meanwhile, Team White logged a power-play tally of its own when Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass.) sped around defenseman William Wrenn (Anchorage, Alaska) and zipped a perfect post-to-post pass to Robbie Czarnik (Washington, Mich.) for a tap-in goal.

After a scoreless second period, Team Blue knotted the score thanks to a cross-ice pass by Jeremy Schroeder (Prior Lake, Minn.). The 2009 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp’s only two-time member of the U.S. National Junior Team found Nick Leddy (Eden Prairie, Minn.) pinching in from the blue line for the defenseman’s third goal of the camp.

But Team White notched the decisive goal with less than three minutes remaining when Mitch Wahl (Seal Beach, Calif.) buried a loose puck during a goalmouth scramble.

NOTES: Team Blue won the first intrasquad game, 6-2, last night (Aug. 7) … Team White and Team Blue will meet once more tomorrow night before the 2009 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp roster is trimmed in preparation for games against Russia … The 2010 U.S. National Junior Team, to be selected later this year, will participate in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Regina and Saskatoon, Sask., Dec. 26 – Jan. 5.

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