TORONTO – Clayton Keller (St. Louis, Mo./Boston University) tallied two points (1-1) and Tyler Parsons (Chesterfield, Mich./London Knights) made 25 saves as the U.S. National Junior Team edged Russia, 3-2, here today at Air Canada Centre in its third preliminary-round game of the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship.
“That was an exciting game to be a part of and I’m real proud of these guys for the effort they gave,” said Bob Motzko (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud State University), head coach of the 2017 U.S. National Junior Team. “It was a quick turnaround from yesterday, but the guys in this locker room continue to rise to every challenge that comes their way. We’ve got a chance to win our group on Saturday and position ourselves nicely for the quarterfinal and I know we’ll be ready.”
Team USA (3-0-0-0) can clinch first place in Group B with a victory in its final preliminary-round game against Canada on Saturday (Dec. 31). Puck drop is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be televised live on NHL Network.
For the complete game recap, click here.
Team USA Schedule
2017 IIHF World Junior Championship
Date Opponent Time (ET)/Result Round Location
Wed., Dec. 21 Switzerland W, 4-3 Pre-Tournament Oshawa, Ont.
Fri., Dec. 23 Czech Republic W, 4-0 Pre-Tournament Oshawa, Ont.
Mon., Dec. 26 Latvia W, 6-1 Preliminary Toronto, Ont.
Wed., Dec. 28 Slovakia W, 5-2 Preliminary Toronto, Ont.
Thurs., Dec. 29 Russia W, 3-2 Preliminary Toronto, Ont.
Sat., Dec. 31 Canada 3:30 p.m. Preliminary Toronto, Ont.
Mon., Jan. 2 TBD TBD Quarterfinals TBD
Wed., Jan. 4 TBD TBD Semifinals Montreal, Que.
Thurs., Jan. 5 TBD 3:30 p.m. Bronze-Medal Game Montreal, Que.
TBD 8:00 p.m. Gold-Medal Game Montreal, Que.
NOTES: Troy Terry was named U.S. Player of the Game … Team USA outshot Russia, 37-27 while finishing 1-for-5 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill … For full game stats, click here … With the win, the U.S. clinched a spot in the quarterfinals … The U.S. snapped a five-game losing streak to Russia in tournament play … At the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, the U.S. is competing in Group B alongside Canada, Latvia, Russia and Slovakia. All U.S. games will be broadcast live on NHL Network … For complete coverage of Team USA at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, click here … Use the hashtag #USAWJC on Twitter to join the conversation about the 2017 U.S. National Junior Team.
