MONCTON, New Brunswick – Logan Cooley (West Mifflin, Pa.) had three goals and an assist and Ryan Ufko (Smithtown, N.Y.) added five assists as the U.S. National Junior Team topped Germany, 11-1, tonight at Avenir Centre in the quarterfinals of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.
With the win, Team USA advances to the semifinals and will face Canada on Wednesday (Jan. 4) at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Opening faceoff is 7:30 p.m. local/6:30 p.m. ET and the game can be seen live on NHL Network.
“I liked the way we started and thought we did what we needed to do tonight,” said Rand Pecknold, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team and also the head men’s ice hockey coach at Quinnipiac University. “We’re excited to get to Halifax and play in the semifinals."
Cooley got the U.S. on the board 3:51 into the game, beating German goaltender Nikita Quapp five-hole from the slot off a backhand feed from Ufko. Jimmy Snuggerud (Chaska, Minn.) also tallied an assist on the goal. Snuggerud then doubled Team USA’s lead on the power play at the eight-minute mark with a wrister from the left circle. Ufko and Chaz Lucius (Grant, Minn.) earned assists.
Just 39 seconds later, Red Savage (Scottsdale, Ariz.) added a third with a quick shot from the goal line of a cross-ice pass from Ufko. Jack Peart (Grand Rapids, Minn.) also picked an assist on the passing play and the U.S. led 3-0 after 20 minutes.
Jackson Blake (Fargo, N.D.) made it 4-0 at 9:05 in the middle frame, slipping the puck past the skate of Quapp off a centering pass from Lucius. Rutger McGroarty (Lincoln, Neb.) earned an assist as well.
Cooley netted his second of the night with 8:57 remaining in the second, picking up a loose puck of an initial shot from Ufko and tucking it into the net. Peart also tallied an assist. Eighteen seconds later, Cutter Gauthier (Scottsdale, Ariz.) scored his first of the night from the bottom of the left circle of a feed from Luke Mittelstadt (Eden Prairie, Minn.).
Savage gave Team USA a 7-0 lead with a short-handed goal off the faceoff with Gavin Brindley (Estero, Fla.) and Mittelstadt drawing assists. Gauthier added an eighth goal for the U.S. from the right circle off a passing play between Snuggerud and Cooley in the neutral zone.
Both the U.S. and Germany swapped out its goaltenders to start the third period, with Andrew Oke (Shelby Township, Mich.) taking the place of Trey Augustine (South Lyon, Mich.) in the U.S. net.
Kenny Connors (Glen Mills, Pa.) scored his first of the tournament at the 4:36 mark of the final frame, tipping the puck in off a feed from Dylan Duke (Strongsville, Ohio), who picked up the puck in stride from Lane Hutson (Chicago, Ill.). Cooley completed his hat trick just over two minutes later, tucking home a rebound off a shot from Gauthier. Mittelstadt also tallied an assist.
Duke rounded out the U.S. scoring at 8:31 off a spin move, sending a backhander over the shoulder of Germany’s Rihards Babulis. Ufko and Tyler Boucher (Haddonfield, N.J.) were credited with assists. Germany scored shorthanded with 3:12 remaining to account for the 11-1 final.
Augustine stopped all 14 shots he faced in the first two periods to pick up the win in goal for the U.S., while Oke made seven saves in the third period.
NOTES: Ryan Ufko was named the U.S. Player of the Game … The U.S. was 1-3 on the power play, while Germany was 0-2 … The U.S. outshot Germany by a 41-22 count … A total of 15 different Americans recorded points tonight … For Team USA’s roster and schedule, click here.