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Gameday: U.S. Concludes Hlinka Gretzky Cup Against Czech Republic

By USA Hockey, 08/06/21, 5:30AM EDT

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Team USA Set to Face Co-Host Nation in Fifth-Place Game

The U.S. Under-18 Men’s Select Team wraps up action at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a matchup against the Czech Republic today at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Today’s Opponent: Czech Republic

In 2019, during the last Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the U.S. fell to the Czech Republic in the fifth-place game, 4-3, in overtime. Prior to that, Team USA defeated the Czechs, 6-0, during preliminary play, where 2019 NHL Draft selection Dustin Wolf (Tustin, Calif.) posted a 23-save shutout. Forward Grant Silianoff (Edina, Minn.) registered a goal and three assists in the win.

In 2017, The U.S. dropped its preliminary round game, 7-3, a year after the team lost to the Czech Republic, 4-3, in the championship game. The two teams met up in the fifth-place game once again during the 2015 tournament, as the U.S. came away victorious, 4-3. The 22nd overall NHL Draft pick in 2017, Kailer Yamamoto (Spokane, Wash.), recorded a pair of goals along with dishing out one assist in the win.

Game Three Recap:

The U.S. came away with a win against Germany, 10-0, during its preliminary finale Wednesday afternoon at Easton Arena.

Cam Lund (Bridgewater, Mass.) started the scoring early, followed by Zam Plante (Hermantown, Minn.) who added one to the scoreboard in the first. The U.S. added three more goals in the second period, with Jake Livanavage (Gilbert, Ariz.) tallying the third goal of the game nearly two minutes into the frame. Lund completed a hat trick as he found the back of the net for Team USA’s next two goals, giving them a big 5-0 lead heading into the final period.

Lund kept it rolling as he added his fourth goal of the game just 1:58 into the third period. The U.S. didn’t stop there after Gavin Hayes (Westland, Mich.) and Livanavage scored 12 seconds apart to put the U.S. up by eight. Jimmy Clark (Edina, Minn.) and Vinny Borgesi (Philadelphia, Pa.) would tack on goals number nine and 10 as Austin McNicholas (Clarence City, N.Y.) earned a shutout.

Nine Americans had a multi-point game as 12 players recorded a point.

By The Numbers:

The U.S. has outshot its opponents 111-70 during tournament play in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Lund leads the U.S. with four goals, good for third amongst all skaters at the tournament, as well as five points which ranks 11th amongst those players. Brennan Ali (Glencoe, Ill.) leads the team in plus/minus, posting a +6 which puts him in fourth overall at the tournament. Ryan Abraham (Livonia, Mich.) has been the leading center at the faceoff dot for the U.S., winning 31 of the 51 faceoffs he has seen, good for a 61 percent clip. Fifteen Americans have recorded a point for second-best at the tournament, with Russia ahead with 16 of their players recording a point.

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