The U.S. Under-18 Select Team was unable to overcome a tough Russia squad as it fell in a shootout, 2-1, in its opening game of the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. U.S. goaltender Thatcher Demko(San Diego, Calif.) made 38 saves before the game entered the shootout.
“We played hard and competed in a hard-fought game,” said Matt Herr, head coach of the U.S. Under-18 Select Team. “We’re going to get our rest, make small adjustments to our game and get ready to go again tomorrow night.”
Scoreless after the first period, Team USA was able to get on the board first. Justin Bailey (Williamsville, N.Y.) converted on the power play, slipping a rebound past Russian netminder Igor Serebryankov. The U.S. held onto its 1-0 lead until late in the third, when Russia was able to tie the game.
In overtime, both teams saw multiple opportunities to capture the win. The best chance came when Adam Erne (New Haven, Conn.) was awarded a penalty shot with 1:14 left in the extra stanza. Unable to convert on the shot, the game was then sent into a three-round shootout to determine the winner.
Team USA shot first, with Sean Malone (West Seneca, N.Y.) missing just wide of the net on a deke move. Russia’s Sergei Tolchinski was up next, shooting hard and low to beat Demko. Anthony DeAngelo (Sewell, N.J.) fired a shot wide of the net and Russia’s Pavel Buchnevich lost control of the puck before getting his shot on net. Erne took the last shot for the U.S and tried to slide the puck past Serebryankov on his backhand, but the Russian netminder clinched the win with a pad save.
The U.S. will return to action in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament on Tuesday (Aug. 14) when it takes on the host nation in Breclav, Czech Republic.
