LILLEHAMMER, Norway — Oliver Wahlstrom (Quincy, Mass.) and Jacob Pivonka (Woodridge, Ill.) each scored three times and Drew DeRidder (Fenton, Mich.) stopped all 11 shots he faced to lead the U.S. Youth Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team to an 8-0 victory against Norway at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
“That was another really good step for our team,” said Scott Paluch, head coach of the U.S. Youth Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team. “We had good focus coming out and created a lot pressure and scoring chances. It was another team effort and another game to build on.”
Wahlstrom scored on the power play at 6:48 and less then five minutes later staked the U.S. to a 2-0 lead. Tyler Weiss (Raleigh, N.C.) assisted on both of Wahlstrom’s tallies.
Pivonka’s first goal of the game came at 11:49, just :40 after Wahlstrom’s second goal, to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead after the opening period.
Pivonka added his second tally when he connected with TJ Walsh (Shrewsbury, Mass.) 2:09 into the second stanza during a U.S. power play. Erik Middendorf (Scottsdale, Ariz.) made it 5-0 with a shorthanded marker before Pivonka completed his hat trick at 8:04.
A goal by Jake Wise (North Andover, Mass.) gave the U.S. a 7-0 cushion at the close of the second period.
Wahlstrom completed his hat trick :31 into the third period for the only goal of the stanza. The U.S. successfully killed off a five-on-three midway through the period to hold Norway scoreless.
Team USA, now 2-0 in the tournament, will next face Canada at 8 a.m. ET on Tuesday (Feb. 16).
Notes: Eleven U.S. players contributed points in the win … The U.S. outshot Norway by a 35-11 count … For complete game statistics, click here … With the win, the U.S. improved to 2-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) … 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.
