Örnsköldsvik, Sweden -- The U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team rallied from a 2-0 deficit on the way to a 6-3 victory over Russia here today in its third preliminary round game at the 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Men’s World Championship at Fjallraven Center.
“It was a great win today against a tough opponent,” said John Wroblewski (Neenah, Wis.) head coach of the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team. “I’m proud of the way we battled back after falling behind early. We’ll enjoy this tonight and be ready to go on Tuesday.”
Russia scored first on the power play 5:48 into play before they doubled their lead at 7:56 off a breakaway.
Hughes put Team USA on the board on the power play with a one-timer off a pass from Cam York (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) with 10:20 left in the opening frame.
With 5:09 left in the first period, Team USA tied the game with Alex Turcotte (Island Lake, Ill.) scoring his third goal of the tournament. The play began when Bobby Brink (Minnetonka, Minn.) found Matthew Boldy (Millis, Mass.) in the neutral zone, who backhanded a pass back to Turcotte who fired it top shelf.
Team USA took the lead with 8:05 left in the middle stanza when Brink faked a shot and passed to Boldy, who fired it past Russian netminder Yaroslav Askorav.
Cole Caufield (Stevens Point, Wis.) extended Team USA’s lead with 5:35 left in the second period when he converted off a Hughes set up in the slot.
Russia closed the gap at the 12:04 mark before Caufield notched his second of the game 2:21 after, maintaining the U.S. two-goal lead.
Matthew Beniers (Hingham, Mass.) concluded the scoring with three seconds remaining in the game off a York feed, accounting the 6-3 final.
Team USA will conclude preliminary round play Tuesday (April 23) vs. Latvia. Puck drop is set for 3:30 p.m. local/9:30 a.m. ET and is live on NHL Network.
NOTES: Alex Turcotte was named U.S. Player of the Game …Team USA outshot Russia 43-23, went 2-for-5 on the power play and killed off 2-of-3 Russian power play attempts ...Team USA news, interviews, highlights and more can be found at TeamUSA.USAHockey.com ... For the official IIHF home for the U18 Men's World Championship, click here ... 21 of the 22 players on the U.S. roster come from USA Hockey's National Team Development Program ... The U.S. enters the tournament having captured a record 15 consecutive medals, including gold medals in seven of the last ten years (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017) ... Team USA has won 10 gold medals all-time, the most of any country in IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship history... Follow @USAHockey on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with the #U18Worlds tag ... For additional coverage, visit the USA Hockey Facebook page and Instagram account.)
HIGHLIGHTS
GAME PHOTOS
2019 U.S. Tournament Schedule
All games at Fjallraven Center
| DATE | OPPONENT/ROUND | LOCATION | TIME (LOCAL/ET)/RESULT | TELEVISION | U.S. Player of the Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., April 12 | Finland Exhibition |
Heinola, Finland | L, 0-1 | None | Cam York |
| Sat., April 13 | Switzerland Exhibition |
Heinola, Finland | W, 8-0 | None | Jack Hughes |
| Thu., April 18 | Sweden Preliminary |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
W, 6-1 | NHL Network | Cole Caufield |
| Fri., April 19 | Slovakia Preliminary |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
W, 12-5 | NHL Network | Jack Hughes |
| Sun., April 21 | Russia Preliminary |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
W, 6-3 | NHL Network | Alex Turcotte |
| Tue., April 23 | Latvia Preliminary |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
W, 7-1 | NHL Network | John Beecher |
| Thu., April 25 | Finland Quarterfinals |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
W, 6-0 | NHL Network | Jack Hughes |
| Sat., April 27 | Russia Semifinals |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
L, 2-3 (SO) | NHL Network | Cole Caufield |
| Sun., April 28 | Canada Bronze-Medal Game |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
W 5-2 | NHL Network | Cam York |
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