USA Hockey's NTDP Blog

Team USA is title game bound thanks to a dramatic shootout win over Sweden, 2-1. I’m nervous in most any situation, be it overtime or a shootout, but facing the tricky Swedes had my heart pumping in the press box for sure. Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.) made a huge save right off the bat and looked cool and calm under all that weight. Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) came out first for the U.S. and made a quick move to shake up the Swedish netminder. 1-0 U.S. after the first go around.

Leon Bristedt, Sweden’s goal-scorer of the night, was next and made a flashy move to draw Demko over to the right side of the net. But Demko’s athleticism allowed him to stretch his left leg pad over to cover the other side of the goal. Save. Sigh of relief. Redemption for the stoic young goalie. Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) was up next and could win the game with a goal. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what happened as “Louie” potted the deciding goal which made the U.S. bench erupt and spill onto the ice in jubilation.

And here we are. The guys grabbed a bite and headed back to the hotel for some rest while the ever diligent coaching staff stayed behind to take notes on the Canada Ontario – Russia game that starts at 7:00 p.m. ET at the WFCU Centre. The work never stops and these coaches put in a lot of time and effort to make sure the players are prepared. A lot is on the line tomorrow and they’ll be ready.

Game time for tomorrow’s (Jan. 4) championship game is 7:00 p.m. ET at the WFCU Centre. Before the teams were even settled for the semifinals, I heard tickets were already half gone for the finale. So you can expect a sell-out, or close to it tomorrow. You’ll have either Canada Ontario playing what is essentially a home game or Russia and Team USA in a rematch of the round-robin tilt. Both attention grabbers.

I’ll be blogging the best that I can tomorrow after the first and second periods. I say “best that I can” because this game will be, you guessed it, a bit crazy. Having been a part of last year’s title game (in Winnipeg, Manitoba), I expect to be all over the place. TSN is covering the game locally here in Windsor, but FASTHockey will still carry the game in the States.

I’ll be Tweeting live scoring upates @USAHockeyScores and writing the recap following the game for usahockey.com. I also just posted a few photos from tonight’s game against Sweden on the NTDP Facebook page. Check them out.

Let’s get one more win and then it’s a short drive back to Ann Arbor, Mich., home of the NTDP. Go USA!

Overtime! Format is as follows: 10 minute overtime period, followed by a best-of-three shootout if needed. Here we go! If you’re not watching, fire up the computer and tune to FASTHockey.com.

The line of Michael McCarron (Macomb, Mich.), Dawson Cook (Cadillac, Mich.) and John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn.) really stood out to me in the third. Created a lot of chances and played well defensively. McCarron had the goal for the Americans and Scott Savage (San Clemente, Calif.) and Dawson Cook (Cadillac, Mich.) earned the assists.

Hayden had a great block with less than two minutes to go as well. Laid out the whole body. Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.) has been tested several times, making clutch saves as Sweden increases its pressure. Looks really cool and collected out there. Times up…we go to a shootout.

Team USA killing off a late penalty by Tyler Motte (St. Clair, Mich.) before time expired on the first frame. Nice clear by the Americans and the power play is killed.

Steven Santini (Mahopac, N.Y.) receives a great pass and rips a shot on net. Rebound goes to Motte who gets stuffed once but tries one more time and it’s in. But the goal looks like it was kicked in by Motte and it’s not allowed.

Some real chippy battles along the boards. Clint Lewis (Burnsville, Minn.) caught hooking and the U.S. heads to the penalty kill. The Swedish power play looks very disorganized and sloppy. The U.S. is successful in defending its end. Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) with a couple of quick shots on goal. Nothing doing.

Big time block by Scott Savage (San Clemente, Calif.) in front of the net. John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn.) and Michael McCarron (Macomb, Mich.) work together to get a good chance on Ebbe Sionas. McCarron’s shot is saved though.

Penalty on the U.S. Back on the kill. Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.) with a good save in traffic. Another blocker save by Demko and a clear to close out the Swedish power play. Savage again with a block in the slot. He seems to be everywhere Demko needs him to be. Play titled a bit in Sweden’s favor in the last few minutes of the second.

Louis with a good chance in front of the crease. He had the puck on the backhand and sent it just wide. Sweden responds just seconds later on a breakaway and slips the puck past Demko for the first goal of the game. It was a shorthanded tally as Sweden was whistled for a slash. Chances are a bit more even…shots are 17-12 in favor of the Americans.

Next up: second intermission and then the third period. Follow along on Twitter @USAHockeyScores, watch live video on FASTHockey or check back here for the final score. A full game recap will be posted on www.usahockey.com shortly after the game. Team USA has been down before and responded. We can do it. Go USA!

Well we’re here. Exactly where Team USA wanted to be. The U.S. is the first seed and is “hosting” Sweden in the semifinals of the 2012 World Under-17 Challenge. I’m blogging live after the first and second periods to keep you informed on what is happening in the game. I’m way up in the super-cool WFCU Centre press box, where the long hallways have speakers playing music, making you feel as if you have your own theme song when you walk around in them. Fun.

Team USA is in its white jerseys with U.S.A. scrawled diagonally across the chest. Sweden wearing its snazzy bright blue jerseys with the three yellow crowns on the front. Obviously I like the U.S. jerseys best, but the Swedish sweaters are probably my next favorite. Those and the black Germany jerseys. Warm-ups are complete and we’re just minutes away from puck drop.

There’s a nice videoboard here at the WFCU Centre. They just played a cool video montage prior to the start of the game. It looks like video from last year and in fact, it is, because I just now saw U.S. National Under-18 Team goaltenders Collin Olson (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Jared Rutledge (Chicago, Ill.) in it.

Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.) is starting in net for the U.S. In what we’ve seen from the current Omaha Lancer (United States Hockey League), he’s been sharp. No real flow to the game as of yet. A lot action between the blue lines. Team USA gets the first power play of the game thanks to a trip by Sweden. A couple of good shots on net, but no goal.

Dawson Cook (Cadillac, Mich.) rips one wide of the cage from close range. Great opportunity for the U.S. at the conclusion of the man advantage. Steven Santini (Mahopac, N.Y.) with a good open ice check to knock a Swedish skater off the puck.

Gage Ausmus (E. Grand Forks, Minn.) whistled for a cross-check. Team USA will be a man down for two minutes. J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.) with a great individual effort to kill off part of the Swedish power play. Really great work keeping the puck away from Sweden.

Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) tries one of the plays that has worked so well this tournament. The forward sent a pass from the left side to Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) camped out on the right. Swedish goaltender Ebbe Sionas made a great pad save to prevent the score. Team USA earns a power play shortly after.

You know, I’ve been in Ontario for a whole week and I haven’t heard Justin Bieber once. He is from this province you know. And arenas usually love playing that kind of pop music. My mind wanders. Ha. Back to the tilt.

One period of semifinal action in the books. Team USA has 8 shots and Sweden has only tested Demko twice. The Americans have really dictated the pace of the game and look sharp. I’ll be back following the second period and I’m Tweeting live scoring updates @USAHockeyScores. See you in twenty.

Wow. What a crazy turn of events last night. The U.S. goes from being on the outside, looking in, to the first seed in its pool. It doesn’t get any more dramatic or tension-filled in a round-robin game than last night against Canada Pacific. The guys stepped it up and proved they belonged in the semifinals and now face Sweden today at 2:00 p.m. ET at the WFCU Centre in Windsor.

This will be the fifth game for Sweden in the last five days. The Swedes finished 3-1-0 in Group B, earning the second seed. Its only loss, a 7-2 drubbing, came at the hands of first seed, Canada Ontario, back on Dec. 30, 2011. Since then, Sweden has racked up three consecutive wins by a total score of 20-7.

This match-up is an intriguing one, as both teams boast a potent offense. The tournament’s leading scorer is Sweden’s Victor Ohman. The Swedish forward has 10 points (3-7) in four games thus far. And not far behind is Team USA’s own, J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.) who sits just one point behind Ohman with nine (3-6).

On defense, Robert Hagg leads the charge on Sweden’s blue line. Hagg has six points (2-4) in four games, tied for the tournament lead with Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wis.). The U.S. defenseman has collected six assists in four games.

Look for a quick start by Team USA right out of the gates. I sense that the guys got a well deserved boost of energy and confidence after its win last night. They are ready to go. They earned the right to be here and fought hard for the opportunity.

And that’s my key to today’s game…a good start. Also, it’s about time a bounce goes our way. I keep mentioning that but these things have a tendency to even out over the course of the tournament and I’m waiting for some luck to turn our way. I’ll be blogging after the first and second periods as always and Tweeting live scoring updates @USAHockeyScores. Check out the action on FASTHockey.com and visit usahockey.com following the game for a full recap. Go USA!

The U.S. National Under-17 Team hung on after a furious last five minutes and defeated Canada Pacific, 4-2. Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wis.) was named player of the game in the victory. With the win, Team USA is now headed to the semi-finals of the World Under-17 Challenge. For a full game recap, visit www.usahockey.com shortly.

And here’s an update for you. Team USA will face Sweden tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. ET at the WFCU Centre in Windsor. We drew the early game as Team Ontario will get the showcase time of 7:00 p.m. ET. Russia gets to tangle with Team Ontario in what should be a fun game to watch.

Hudson Fasching (Burnsville, Minn.) put on a show here tonight, notching two really pretty goals and just slicing through defenders. And to top it all off, he’s an excellent interview and a really solid, professional young man. Kudos to him. Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) also had two scores in what I’m calling his “coming out” tournament. We all knew he was good, but watching him now is something special. A goal-scoring machine.

J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.), Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) and Tyler Motte (St. Clair, Mich.) all chipped in with two assists each as well. And Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wis.) was impressive patrolling the blue line. For his efforts, the blueliner was named player of the game for Team USA. Keep it up boys!

With the short turn around tomorrow, coverage will start earlier here on the NTDP blog. Hopefully I’ll get something up before the bus trip over to WFCU Centre, but if not, as soon as I hit the press box I’ll start with the updates. The game release should be up on usahockey.com soon and look for a few pictures to be uploaded on Facebook later tonight too.

Right out of the gate the U.S. evens the score at one. Anthony Louis sent a pass through the crease and the puck was chipped in by Hudson Fasching (Burnsville, Minn.).

Nice hit by Scott Savage (San Clemente, Calif.). First board rattler of the night. The U.S. just killed off another penalty. Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich.) gives Team USA the lead with a crafty tip in play in front of the net. He tipped it in and fell over Eric Comrie. Great effort on that goal. Great pass by Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.). Looked very similar to the first goal of the night for the Americans.

Play has calmed down a bit. A little back and forth action. Hunter Miska (North Branch, Minn.) just made a tough save. J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.) draws a penalty deep in the zone.

And there you have it. We’re just a bit closer to advancing, but need some help. Canada West is putting up a fight against Russia and that would help if they win. I’ll be blogging the final score following the game, but you can read the full game recap at www.usahockey.com. Go USA!

Superstition is getting the best of me. I wore the same Team USA pullover as last night and kept with the white framed glasses. If you didn’t know, hockey is a very superstitious sport. In fact, I ran into the Compher’s pre-game (Under-17 Team forward J.T. Compher’s family) searching for the same seats they were in last night. It’s a hockey thing people! I’m telling you.

Just watched the exciting ending of the National Hockey League’s Winter Classic. *Spoiler alert!* A penalty shot with just seconds remaining for the trailing Flyers and a save by King Henrik of the Rangers. I have it DVR’d at home so I can watch the game in its entirety but I couldn’t not watch that ending. Wouldn’t an outdoor NTDP game against a United States Hockey League opponent be fun?

Here we go. The Americans are in the white, retro jerseys again and for the second straight night, they’ll be facing a red and black Canadian team. Nice shot by Trevor Hamilton (Grosse Pte. Farms, Mich.) that led to a huge rebound. Pacific clamped down and didn’t allow the U.S. to pounce on the puck.

Nice couple of saves by Canadian goaltender Eric Comrie. Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.) fell down, but got a great chance. Hudson Fasching (Burnsville, Minn.) got called for a kneeing penalty. Solid kill by the U.S. Been a quiet period thus far. I don’t know if each team is feeling each other out or if Pacific is clamping down defensively knowing the goal differential scenario. Either way we’re 10 minutes in and nothing sticks out.

A bit of a bad break as the U.S. blocked a shot and it deflected to a Canadian player who knocked the puck in for the game’s first score. Team USA looks for the equalizer and almost has it as Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) gets bowled into the net, dislodging it before the puck crossed the goal line.

Canada is blocking a lot of shots in front. Not much getting through for Team USA. Two rapid fire attempts by Louis again, this time on the power play. Comrie playing well. Scrum in front of the net gets chippy and Tyler Motte (St. Clair, Mich.) gets whistled for roughing. Penalty killed.

Pacific gets whistled now for a high-sticking near the end of the period. Two off-setting roughing penalties occur at the 20:00 mark, but the U.S. will be still be on the power play on fresh ice in the second. The Americans are leading 17-8 in shots, but can’t finish as of now. Check back after the second period and hopefully I’ll be reporting some good news. We look good, just have to get one in to get it started!