DECEMBER 20: Day Six

It is the first gameday for this year's 2018 U.S. National Junior Team, as it prepares to face Belarus tonight in Jamestown, New York at Northwest Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 pm ET and will be streamed live on HockeyTV.com.
     To visit the gameday page, click here.

THE SERIES: U.S. VS BELARUS
All-time, the U.S. is 3-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) against Belarus. The two teams last met on Dec. 29, 2004, when the U.S. fell to Belarus, 5-3, in preliminary-round play of the 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Thief River Falls, Minnesota.
     The United States will enter the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship as hosts and defending gold medalists while Belarus, which competed in the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, returns to the top-level championship after winning last year's Division I tournament.

LAST MEETING: BELARUS 5, USA 3
The United States fell to Belarus, 5-3, in preliminary round of the 2005 event in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Phil Kessel (Madison, Wis.), Drew Stafford (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Mike Brown (Northbrook, Ill.) each scored for the U.S.

WELCOME DR. DOUG WEISS
Longtime USA Hockey team physician Dr. Doug Weiss (Dublin, N.H.) arrived today, completing the U.S. team staff for this year's U.S. National Junior Team. This is his first time serving as team physician for the U.S. National Junior Team after previously working on the staff of four gold medal-winning U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Teams in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017. 
     Collegiately, Weiss played at Dartmouth College (1984-88) where he was alternate captain his junior year and captain his senior season. After college, he attended the New York Islanders training camp (1988) and subsequently played for its AHL affiliate in Springfield, Mass. He then went on to play in the ECHL in Johnstown, Pa. (1989-90, 1991-92), as well as Olomouc of the Czechoslovakia National Hockey League (1990-91). He completed his playing career as a player/assistant coach in Odense Denmark (1992-93) and went on to pursue his medical degree at his alma mater, Dartmouth College, before earning his M.D. in 2001.