DAWSON CREEK, B.C.- The U.S. National Under-17 Team defeated Team Sweden, 5-1 in its quarter-final game this afternoon at Encana Events Centre.
Sean Farrell (Hopkinton, Mass.) netted a power play goal at 8:30 of the opening frame to give Team USA a 1-0 lead. Domenick Fensore (Thornwood, N.Y) and Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.) added assists on the goal.
Sweden tied the game, at the 18:06 mark of the first period, sending the puck into the net from the top of the right face-off circle.
Jack Hughes (Orlando, Fla.) broke the tie at 15:43 of the second period, shoveling the puck between the legs of Sweden goaltender Matteus Ward. Cole Caufield (Stevens Point, Wis.) recorded an assist on the goal.
Caufield extended the U.S. lead, 3-1, netting a one-timer from Hughes on the power play at 8:05 of the third period. Cam York (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) also recorded an assist on the goal.
At 8:53 of the third period, Alex Turcotte (Island Lake, Ill.) backhanded the puck into the net after intercepting a Team Sweden pass to extend the U17s lead to 4-1.
Patrick Moynihan (Millis, Mass.) added a goal at 15:25 of the third period to seal the game 5-1. Henry Thurn (Southborough, Mass.) and Turcotte tallied assists on the goal.
Team USA’s Cameron Rowe (Wilmette, Ill.) finished the game with 30 saves as did Sweden’s Ward.
The U.S. will play its semifinal game tomorrow (Nov. 10); its opponent and game time are dependent on the results of tonight’s other quarter-final games.
NOTES: The U.S. outshot Sweden, 35-31 … The U.S. went 2-3 on the power play while Sweden went 0-1 … Cameron Rowe was named the U.S. Player of the Game …Cole Caufield leads the tournament with nine points (4-5) while Jack Hughes is second with eight (4-4) … Caufield also leads the tournament with five assists while Hughes is tied for second with four… The 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge includes two groups of four teams. Group A features Canada Black, Canada White, the Czech Republic and the United States, while Group B includes Canada Red, Finland, Russia and Sweden … Follow @USAHockeyNTDP on Twitter for tournament updates and join the conversation on social media by using #WU17USA and #WorldU17 … For complete tournament coverage, visit the Hockey Canada website.
