Sunday, November 13, 2011

U.S. National Under-18 Team Bests Switzerland, 6-2, to Claim Title at 2011 Under-18 Four Nations Tournament

Press Release

MONTHEY, Switzerland - Nicolas Kerdiles (Irvine, Calif.) notched two goals, as the U.S. National Under-18 Team bested Switzerland, 6-2, to claim its fourth consecutive Under-18 Four Nations tournament title here today at Monthey Arena. Team USA finished round-robin play with a 3-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OLT-L) record.


“I am extremely proud of how our guys played together as a team," said Danton Cole, head coach of the U.S. National Under-18 Team. "Everything came together at the right time and we hope to build off these wins as we move forward with our upcoming schedule."


The U.S. opened scoring at 6:25 of the first period when Connor Carrick (Orland Park, Ill.) found the back of the net. Riley Barber (Livonia, Mich.) registered an assist on the play. Matthew Lane (Rochester, N.Y.) extended the Team USA lead at 13:19 after knocking the puck past Swiss goaltender Melvin Nyffeler. Before time expired on the frame, Brendan Silk (Wakefield, Mass.) put the U.S. up by three scores with Brady Skjei (Lakeville, Minn.) earning the lone assist.


Switzerland responded at 4:15 of the second stanza to close the gap with the U.S., 3-1. Kerdiles answered when he potted his fourth goal of the tournament, putting Team USA back up by two. Frankie Vatrano (East Longmeadow, Mass.) collected an assist on the goal. Barber extended the lead, 5-1, when he netted a goal at 16:04. Lane and Thomas Di Pauli (Woodridge, Ill.) assisted on the tally.


Kerdiles notched his second goal of the game at 4:49 of the final frame to give the U.S. a 6-1 lead. Matt Grzelcyk (Charlestown, Mass.) and Kyle Osterberg (Lakeville, Minn.) collected assists on the tally. The host country struck late in the period, but Team USA's lead would prove insurmountable. Jared Rutledge (Chicago, Ill.) made 29 saves in the win for the U.S., while Swiss netminder Nyffeler stopped 29 shots in the loss.


The U.S. National Under-18 Team returns to United States Hockey League action Friday (Nov. 18) against the Green Bay Gamblers and Saturday (Nov. 19) versus the Tri-City Storm. Both contests begin at 7:00 p.m. EST at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

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

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