The timing worked out perfectly for Noah Davidson and the U.S. Under-17 Select Team.

Davidson scored twice, including the game-winning goal in the final two minutes, as the U.S. earned a dramatic come-from-behind 4-3 victory against Slovakia to win the 2024 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament in Piestany, Slovakia, on Aug. 18.

“It was definitely a dramatic ending,” Davidson said. “The stars aligned for us to win that last game. It was a very high-pressure situation at the end. We couldn’t have asked for a better ending.”

The U.S. lost to Czechia 8-6 a day earlier and needed a win in regulation to claim the Five Nations title. With the game tied, 3-3, and 2:09 left to play, the U.S. pulled its goaltender, Xavier Wendt, to bring on an extra attacker. Davidson found the top corner of the net from the bottom left side 28 seconds later for the game-winning goal.

“It was definitely special,” Davidson said. “When I saw the puck go in, it was a big relief knowing that we had the lead with very little time to go. It was an awesome feeling when the final buzzer went off and we were all definitely excited.”

The U.S. outshot Slovakia 45-24, including a 22-6 margin in the third period. Davidson admitted that pulling a goaltender is a rarity in hockey during a tie game, but it made the result that much sweeter.

“It’s definitely a great memory that I’ll remember for a very long time, wearing the USA sweater for the first time,” he said. “For us to score while the goalie was pulled in a tie game makes it way more dramatic and an even greater story.”

The U.S. captured its ninth Five Nations championship and first since 2021. The Americans defeated Germany and Switzerland by a combined 15-1 margin before losing to Czechia the following day. That set the stage for the win against host Slovakia.

“This tournament means a lot,” Davidson said. “It’s the first time most people on the team wore the USA jersey. Every chance you get to wear the USA jersey and represent USA Hockey across the world in international competition means a lot. We were super pumped to win this tournament.”

Since 2007, many future NHL stars have participated in this tournament for the U.S. Names like Nick Bjugstad, Brock Boeser, Dustin Brown, Thatcher Demko, Justin Faulk, Patrick Kane, Nick Leddy, Ben Lovejoy, Jake McCabe, Ryan McDonagh, Kyle Okposo, Bryan Rust, Troy Terry and others have worn the USA jersey before eventually reaching the highest level of hockey in the world.

“It’s definitely awesome to have my name alongside all of those other NHL players,” Davidson said. “Obviously, everyone on this team hopes to be as good as them one day and win Stanley Cups. It’s definitely an honor.”

Davidson, a native of Irvine, California, attended the USA Hockey Boys 16 Player Development Camp earlier in July to earn a spot on the roster. He spent the 2023-24 season at national powerhouse Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minnesota, where he recorded 29 goals and 61 points.

He'll spend the upcoming season at Shattuck but hopes to one day reach the NHL, among other goals.

“I want to represent USA Hockey as much as I can, whether it’s the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Under-18 or World Juniors,” Davidson said. “Those are my future goals. Obviously, some are pretty close, and others are years away, but I’m staying present in the moment, and I want to play in the NHL and represent USA Hockey as much as I can.”

No matter how it all turns out, Davidson will always have the memory of scoring the game-winning goal in the final two minutes to clinch the Five Nations title.

“You kind of always envision scoring a game-winning goal, especially the game-winning goal for your country, so it’s definitely big,” he said. “When you’re young, you always think about that, and for it to actually happen is pretty amazing.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.