LILLEHAMMER, Norway — Four different players scored and goaltender Todd Scott (Albertville, Minn.) made 21 stops as the U.S. Youth Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team defeated Finland, 4-1, in its opening matchup of the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
“I thought it was a really good start for our team,” said Scott Paluch, head coach of the U.S. Youth Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team. “We had tremendous energy, and it was a team effort. We had a lot of guys contributing in a lot of roles.”
Finland jumped out to a quick lead with a goal by Samuel Salonen 2:36 into the first period, but Jake Wise (North Andover, Mass.) responded about five minutes later to erase the Finnish lead.
A goal by TJ Walsh (Shrewsbury, Mass.) at 13:10, assisted by Ty Emberson (Eau Claire, Wis.), put Team USA at a 2-1 advantage. A U.S. penalty late in the stanza gave Finland a power play to start the second period, but the Team USA penalty kill unit held strong.
Christian Krygier (Novi, Mich.) scored the only goal of the second frame to make it 3-1. Will MacKinnon (Plymouth, Mich.) was credited with the assist.
At 12:12 of the third period, Finland’s Tobias Akerman was whistled for cross checking to give the U.S. a penalty shot opportunity. Tyler Weiss (Raleigh, N.C.) took the shot and found the back of the net to account for the 4-1 final.
The U.S. will continue competition at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games when it faces off against Norway at 2 p.m. ET tomorrow (Feb. 14).
Notes: The U.S. outshot Finland, 24-22. For complete game statistics, click here … Games at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics Games consist of three, 15-minute periods … The U.S. Youth Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team is competing against Canada, Finland, Norway and Russia … For more information on the U.S. Youth Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team, including a complete schedule and roster, click here … Follow all U.S. Games during the Winter Youth Olympic Games via Twitter by following @USAHockey and @USAHockeyScores, and join the conversation using #Lillehammer2016 … In the first-ever Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012, the U.S. Youth Olympics Men’s Ice Hockey Team finished fourth … Created by the International Olympic Committee, the Youth Olympic games bring youth athletes from around the world together through sports and the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship.
