The U.S. Under-18 Men's Select Team opens its 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup campaign with a matchup against Russia today at 9:30 a.m. ET. The game will be played at Easton Arena in Piešťany, Slovakia.
Today's Opponent: Russia
Team USA is 2-3 (W-L) in its last five meetings with Russia at the Hlinka Tournament. Last year, the U.S. and Russia met twice in the event, with the U.S. earning a 5-4 victory in the third-place game after dropping an 8-3 decision in the preliminary round. Before the 2018 event, the U.S. met Russia in the 2016 tournament, winning 4-3 in overtime. Michael Pastujov (Bradenton, Fla.), now at the University of Michigan, scored the game-winning goal for Team USA in overtime.
In 2015, the teams met in the preliminary round with Russia posting a 5-2 victory. In 2014, the U.S. skated to a 7-4 preliminary-round win over the Russians highlighted by a hat trick from Brock Boeser (Burnsville, Minn.), who went on to be named a finalist for the NHL's Calder Trophy and earn NHL All-Star Game MVP honors in 2017-18, becoming the first rookie since Mario Lemieux in 1985 to be so honored.
Team USA defeated the Russians again in the 2013, also in the preliminary round, by a score of 4-2.
Since the tournament was renamed the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2006, Russia has finished in the top three eight times, including two second-place finishes.
Exhibition Recaps:
The U.S. skated in two exhibition tuneups prior to the start of this year's tournament, defeating Hungary's U-20 National Team, 6-4, last Thursday before falling, 3-1, to the Czech Republic on Saturday.
Cross Hanas (Highland Village, Texas) tallied two goals to lead Team USA past Hungary, and Jack Williams (Biddeford, Maine) tallied the U.S. goal against the Czech Republic. Goaltenders Louden Hogg (Edina, Minn.) and Colin Purcell (Shaker Heights, Ohio) each saw time in the net for the U.S.
U.S. Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Round | Time (Local/ET)/Result | Location | Streaming | Statistics | U.S. Player of Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thurs., Aug. 1 | Hungary (Under-20) | Exhibition | W, 6-4 | Budapest, Hungary | Live Stream |
Box Score | Alex Gaffney |
| Sat., Aug. 3 | Czech Republic | Exhibition | L, 1-3 | Břeclav, Czech Republic | Requires VPN with Czech IP Address | Box Score | Louden Hogg |
| Mon., Aug. 5 | Russia | Preliminary | L, 2-6 |
Piešťany, Slovakia | Requires VPN with Slovakia IP Address |
Box Score | Jake Ratzlaff |
| Tues., Aug. 6 | Slovakia | Preliminary | W, 4-3 (OT) |
Piešťany, Slovakia | Requires VPN with Slovakia IP Address |
Box Score | Ryan Beck |
| Wed., Aug. 7 | Sweden | Preliminary | L, 4-5 (SOL) |
Piešťany, Slovakia | Requires VPN with Slovakia IP Address |
Box Score | Ryan Kirwan |
| Fri., Aug. 9 | Czech Republic | Fifth-Place Game | L, 3-4 (OT) |
Břeclav, Czech Republic | Requires VPN with Czech IP Address |
Box Score | Wyatt Kaiser |
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