RAUMA, Finland – Kieffer Bellows (Edina, Minn.) tallied two goals as the U.S. National Under-18 Team earned one point in a 3-2 shootout loss to Sweden here tonight. The United States record is now 0-0-1-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) at the 2016 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament.
Bellows notched the game’s first score at 17:26 of the opening period. Joey Anderson (Roseville, Minn.) and Clayton Keller (Swansea, Ill.) assisted on the power-play goal. Just over a minute later, Sweden answered to tie the game, 1-1.
The lone marker in the second stanza belonged to Bellows, restaking the U.S. lead, 2-1. Matthew Hellickson (Rogers, Minn.) earned the only helper on the go-ahead goal.
Sweden netted the game-tying score 2:05 into the third frame. Team USA tested Swedish netminder Filip Gustavsson nine times in a bid to reclaim the lead, but each attempt was denied.
A five-minute overtime could not break the deadlock, and the contest would be decided by a shootout. Keller lit the lamp but Bellows and Adam Fox (Jericho, N.Y.) were unsuccessful in their attempts while Sweden found the back of the net twice to earn the extra point.
Jake Oettinger (Lakeville, Minn.) turned aside 23 shots in the setback for the U.S., while Gustavsson made 23 saves in the victory for Sweden.
The U.S. National Under-18 Team is back in action tomorrow (Feb. 12) against host Finland. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET. Follow @USAHockeyScores for updates.
NOTES: The United States and Sweden had 25 shots each … The U.S. went 1-3 on the power play while Sweden went 0-3 … The United States roster is made up entirely of members of the 2015-16 U.S. National Under-18 Team, part of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program based in Plymouth, Michigan. A complete roster can be found here … The U.S. is competing against teams from the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden in the round-robin tournament … The tournament website can be found here … Follow @USAHockeyNTDP and @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for tournament updates and join the conversation on social media by using the #5NationsU18 tag.
Team USA Schedule | 2016 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament
Feb. 11-14 | Rauma, Finland
Date Game Time (ET) / Result
Mon., Feb. 8 Finland* W, 3-2
Thurs., Feb. 11 Russia L, 0-3
Fri., Feb. 12 Sweden L, 2-3 (OT)
Sat., Feb. 13 Finland 7:00 a.m.
Sun., Feb. 14 Czech Republic 10:00 a.m.
*Pre-tournament game
