MINSK, Belarus – Nick Shore (Denver, Colo.) notched three points (2-1) and Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.) earned his third consecutive shutout as the U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team blanked Finland, 5-0, here today in the semifinals at the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Men's Under-18 Championship. With the win, the U.S. earned a spot in the tournament's gold-medal game for the second straight year and will face either Sweden or Russia Friday (April 23) at 7 p.m. (noon EDT) at Minsk Arena.

"Another solid 60-minute effort to outplay a team with the talent and determination of Finland," said Kurt Kleinendorst, head coach of Team USA. "We have worked our way through the tournament and are now in a position to accomplish the goal we set for ourselves back in September. I really like where we're at as a team."

Team USA jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 5:44 of the opening frame.Brandon Saad's (Gibsonia, Pa.) shot rang off the cross bar and bounced to Shore, who slipped it past netminder Jonathan Ilhati on the left side. Campbell turned aside all five shots he faced in the first period to keep Finland off the board.

Campbell helped his own cause in the second stanza when he poked the puck to Bryan Rust (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), who sent a long pass to a streaking Matthew Nieto (Long Beach, Calif.). Nieto then sped around a defender and flipped a backhanded shot inside the left post to make it 2-0 at 6:19. Team USA received a four-goal cushion with just one second remaining in the middle period after Shore found a wide-open Adam Clendening(Niagara Falls, N.Y.), who wired a shot into the upper-right corner of the net.

The U.S. kept the pressure on Finland in the final frame. Justin Faulk (South St. Paul, Minn.) intercepted a pass in the neutral zone, skated down the right wing and slid the puck to Shore, who backhanded it past Ilhati at 9:22 to give the U.S. a 4-0 lead. Just 1:34 later, Jarred Tinordi (Millersville, Md.) rifled a slap shot through a screen and behind Ilhati to cap the scoring. Campbell made six saves in the third period to preserve the shutout.

NOTES: Nick Shore was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... Adam Clendeningand Shore each have three goals and six assists in the tournament and are tied for the team lead ... Clendening also owns a team-best plus-9 rating ... Jack Campbell recorded his third consecutive shutout and fifth of his career at the IIHF World Men's Under-18 Championship. He leads all goaltenders with a 0.80 goals-against average and .963 save percentage ... The U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team has appeared in the semifinals in each of the last nine IIHF World Men's Under-18 Championships, an unprecedented feat ... The U.S. has outscored its opponents 28-2 in its last five games ... Team USA's games are available via live webstream at USAHockey.FASTHockey.com... The U.S. has earned an unprecedented six consecutive medals at the IIHF World Men's Under-18 Championship, which includes three gold (2005, 2006, 2009), two silver (2004, 2007) and one bronze (2008). Team USA also captured the gold medal in 2002.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

FIN 0 0 0 -- 0
USA 1 2 2 -- 5

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Shore (Saad), 5:44. Penalties: FIN, Granlund (hooking), 9:40; USA, Grimaldi (high-sticking), 17:59.

Second Period - Scoring: 2, USA, Nieto (Rust, Campbell), 6:19; 3, USA, Clendening (Shore, Brickley), 19:59. Penalties: USA, Arnold (holding), FIN, Mi. Granlund (interference), 17:01.

Third Period - Scoring: 4, USA, Shore (Faulk), 9:22; 5, USA, Tinordi (Arnold, Nieto), 10:56. Penalties: FIN, Makinen (delay of game), :23; USA, Tinordi (delay of game), 7:18; USA, Forbort (tripping), 12:14; USA, Rust (tripping), 19:42.

Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total
FIN 5 3 6 14
USA 8 11 8 22
         
Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
FIN, Ilhati, 60:00 8-7 11-9 8-6 22-17
USA, Campbell, 60:00 5-5 3-3 6-6 14-14

Power Play: FIN 0-5; USA 0-3
Penalties: FIN 3-6; USA 5-10
Officials: Referees - Maxim Sidorenko (BLR), Pat Smith (CAN); Linesmen - Pierre Deahaen (FRA), Nicolas Fluri (SUI)
Attendance: 1,200