PLYMOUTH, Mich. – Ethan Sung (Pasadena, Calif.) registered three points (1g, 2a) as the U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select Team erased a three-goal deficit to earn a 5-3 victory over Czechia in its final preliminary round game of the 2025 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament here today at USA Hockey Arena.
The U.S. and Czechia meet again tomorrow (Aug. 9) at 4:30 p.m. ET for the tournament championship. The game will be streamed on USAHockeyTV.com and tickets are available here.
“The guys stuck to the process,” said Jason Guerriero (Manorville, N.Y.), head coach of the U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select Team. “We called a timeout after Czechia’s third goal and told them to just worry about the next shift. Our guys found a way, they stuck to it and got rewarded for it. It was a great win for us.”
U.S. netminder Mason Courville (Palmyra, Pa.) held the game scoreless with 11:17 left in the first, sprawling on a rebound chance to deny Czechia on the power play. He stood tall again with a trio of stops on the same penalty kill 1:15 later and finished the first period with 13 saves.
Czechia opened the scoring 4:35 into the second, as Matyas Cancik found the back of the net after a centering feed from Melichar Kovar.
GAME PHOTOS
Petr Hornig doubled the Czech lead at 10:16, scoring on a sharp-angle shot. Matej Svec scored 1:04 later with a slap shot from the point to give Czechia a 3-0 lead.
Ethan Sung (Pasadena, Calif.) forced an offensive-zone turnover and passed the puck to Gerry DiCunzolo (Buffalo, N.Y.) who put the U.S. on the board with 2:29 left in the middle stanza.
Sung threaded a cross-ice pass to DiCunzolo, who tapped home his second of the game to cut the U.S. deficit to one at 6:56 of the third.
Team USA knotted the contest at 3-3 with 9:32 to go as Colin Grubb (Minot, N.D.) sent a centering feed to Sung in the slot, who fired a wrist shot into the back of the net. Michael Tang (New York, N.Y.) gave the U.S. the lead 29 seconds later, tapping a bouncing puck home after he forced a turnover near the blue line.
Ty Bergeron (Flat Rock, Mich.) added an empty-net tally with :26 remaining to account for the 5-3 final. Courville and Kaeden Tate (Huntington Beach, Calif.) combined for 32 saves in the victory.
NOTES: Ethan Sung was named U.S. Player of the Game … Czechia outshot Team USA, 35-26.
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