RAUMA, Finland - The U.S. National Under-18 Team lost a heartbreaker tonight to Canada, 3-2, in a shootout at the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship at the Rauma Aijanuso. James vanRiemsdyk (Middletown, N.J.) andJustin Vaive (Buffalo, N.Y.) scored for Team USA and netminder Josh Unice (Toledo, Ohio) turned aside 31 shots in net for the U.S. in tonight's contest.

In the opening period Canada struck first, 8:45 into the game, when defenseman Luke Schenn caught a pass at the top of the U.S. zone and fired a shot over the shoulder of Unice to gain a 1-0 lead.

Team USA struck back five minutes into the second stanza when vanRiemsdyk gathered in a rebound off the backboards from a Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.) point shot and tucked the puck into an empty net behind Canadian netminder Trevor Cann to knot the game at 1-1.

The U.S. gained its first lead of the game with 6: 25 to play in the contest when Vaive knocked in a loose puck in front of Cann to give Team USA a 2-1 advantage. Canada replied 2:38 later in the final period when Colton Gillies tipped a pass from Yann Suave off the crossbar and in to make it a 2-2 contest.

Unice and Cann both made big saves down the stretch to send the game to overtime. In the four-on-four five-minute extra session, Team USA earned a power-play when Matt Rust (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) was hauled down en route to a breakaway. The U.S. was unable to score with the man advantage, sending the game to a three-man shootout.

Team USA won the coin toss to determine the shooting order and elected to shoot second. Steve Stamkos went first for Canada and beat Unice with a deeke to his forehand. Ryan Hayes (Syracuse, N.Y.) was stopped by Cann on Team USA's first attempt. Unice denied Zach Torquato and then U.S. captain Kevin Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, N.Y.) scored to even the shootout at 1-1. Canada's third shooter, Kyle Turis was also stopped by Unice, giving vanRiemsdyk a chance to win the game for Team USA. Cann stopped vanRiemsdyk to send the shootout to sudden death.

In the second round of the shootout Team USA shot first. Shattenkirk was stopped by Cann, then Stamkos missed the net for Canada. Jordan Schroeder (Lakeville, Minn.) was denied by the Canadian netminder, then Zac Boychuck was able to sneak a shot between Unice's outstretched leg and the left goalpost to end the game.

The U.S. National Under-18 Team (1-1-1) will face Latvia (0-2-0) on Tuesday (April 17) at 9 a.m. EDT in the fourth and final round-robin game of the opening round.

NOTES: Shattenkirk was named Best Player of the Game for Team USA … The U.S. National Under-18 Team must defeat Latvia on Tuesday to advance to the cross-over round beginning on Thursday (April 19) in Tampere, Finland. 

SCORING SUMMARY 

Scoring By Period 
CAN 1-0-1-0-1 -- 3
USA 0-1-1-0-0 -- 2

First Period - Scoring: 1, CAN, Schenn (Arniel, Stamkos), 8:45. Penalties - USA, Fairchild (interference), 18:47.

Second Period - Scoring: 2, USA, vanRiemsdyk (McDonagh), 5:00. Penalties - CAN, Bench (too many men), 2:01; CAN, Stamkos (boarding), 14:39; CAN, Stamkos (roughing), 17:28; USA, Cole (cross checking), 17:28; USA, McDonagh (roughing), 19:20.  

Third Period - Scoring: 3, USA, Vaive (R. Hayes, O'Brien), 13:35; 4, CAN, Gilles (Sauve, Negrin), 16:13. Penalties - USA, O'Brien (holding), 2:14; USA, Wilson (hooking), 4:36; CAN, Sauve (tripping), 7:03; CAN, Doughty (tripping), 11:21.

Overtime - Scoring: No Scoring. Penalties - CAN, Doughty (hooking), 1:33.

Shootout - Scoring: CAN, Boychuck.

Shots By Period 1   2    3   OT  TOTAL
CAN             7   13   11  2   33 
USA             12  19   10  5   46

Goaltending (SH-SV) 1      2      3      OT    TOTAL
CAN, Cann (65:00)   12-12  19-18  10-9   5-5   46-44
USA, Unice (65:00)  7-6    13-13  11-10  3-2   33-31

Power Play: CAN 0-4; USA 0-5

Penalties: CAN 6-12; USA 5-10

Attendance: 2, 361

Officials:  Vladamir Baluska(SVK); Linesmen- Frederick Carlman (SWE), Jussi Terho (FIN) 

2007 U.S. National Under-18 Team Schedule
April 12-22 • Tampere & Rauma, Finland

Date        Opponent          Location    Time (EDT)/Result
April 7     Switzerland*      Sakyla      L, 4-3
April 8     Finland*          Rauma       T, 4-4
April 12    Russia            Rauma       L, 5-3
April 13    Germany           Rauma       W, 9-1
April 15    Canada            Rauma       L, 3-2 (so)
April 17    Latvia            Rauma       9: 00 a.m.
April 19/20 Playoff-Round     TBA         TBA
April 22    Bronze-Medal Game Tampere     7:00 a.m.
April 22    Gold-Medal Game   Tampere     11:00 a.m.

*Exhibition Game