WOODRIDGE, Ill. - Haley Skarupa (Rockville, Md.) registered six points (2-4), while Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.) and Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill.) each netted four goals, to lead the U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team to a 15-0 win over the Czech Republic here tonight at the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's U18 Championship in Walter Bush Rink. With the win, the U.S. won its group with a 3-0-0-0 record (W-OTW-OTL-L) and advanced to the semifinal round on Friday (April 2).

"We started fast and moved well both with and without the puck," said Katie King, Team USA's head coach. "I'm proud of the way we played and we're very excited for our next game in the semifinals."

The U.S. tallied five goals in the first period, including two from Carpenter. Coyne opened the game's scoring on the power play at 2:03 after her shot from the bottom of the left circle beat Czech goaltender Lenka Craigova on the short side. Thirty seconds later,Lyndsey Fry (Chandler, Ariz.) doubled the U.S. lead with goal through the goaltender's legs. At 6:42, Brittany Ammerman (River Vale, N.J.) collected the puck along the right boards and cut toward the net before snapping a shot over the netminder's glove.

Carpenter scored the next two U.S. goals to close out the period's scoring. The first was on her own rebound at 8:21 and the second came at 15:28 when she used a deke to beat a pair of Czech defenders and put a low shot to the blocker side of new goaltender Veronika Hladikova.

Team USA scored six goals in the second period to take an 11-0 lead. Meghan Lorence (Mounds View, Minn.) scored her first goal of the tournament when she redirected a cross-ice pass at 1:49. With a slap shot from the left circle, Carpenter netted her third marker of the game at 8:16, and Skarupa tallied on the power play 59 seconds later. Team USA garnered its third power-play goal of the game when Carpenter snapped the puck off the left post and into the net at 15:58. Coyne scored the next two U.S. goals :24 apart to close out the frame's scoring.

In the final stanza, the U.S. potted four more goals to defeat the Czech Republic, 15-0. Taylor Wasylk (Port Huron, Mich.) scored on the power play after a give-and-go play at 4:39. Coyne tallied her fourth of the game 56 seconds later, and Marissa Gedman (Framingham, Mass.) netted a goal off a slap shot at 9:18. Skarupa finished off the scoring by sending a cross-ice pass to the back of the net at 11:24.

U.S. netminder Aubree Moore (Bowie, Md.) turned aside 16 shots for her first career U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team shutout.

Team USA will play the winner of the quarterfinal match-up between Sweden and Japan on Friday (April 2) at 7:30 p.m. CT.

NOTES: Haley Skarupa was named Team USA's player of the game ... The U.S. was 4-for-7 on the power play, while the Czech Republic was 0-for-3 ... Team USA has not allowed a power-play goal in the tournament (14-14) ... Kendall Coyne (9-0) and Skarupa (3-6) pace the U.S. with nine points each ...  All tournament games are available via live webstream at USAHockey.FASTHockey.com... Tournament photos are available at ImagesOnIce.net... The IIHF World Women's U18 Championship, which is being held for the first time on U.S. soil at the Seven Bridges Ice Arena, is being held for the third time ... The eight-nation tournament includes Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Japan, Russia, Sweden and the United States ... The U.S. is the two-time defending world champion, after capturing gold in Füssen, Germany, in 2009, and in Calgary in 2008 ... Katie King, three-time Olympian and head women's hockey coach at Boston College, is Team USA's head coach, with Shelley Looney, two-time Olympian and girls'/women's hockey director for the New Jersey Colonials, and Catherine Hanson, former U.S. Women's National Team member who spent seven seasons as an assistant women's hockey coach at The Ohio State University, serving as assistant coaches ... For more information on the 2010 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship, visit Chicago2010Hockey.com.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

CZE 0 - 0 - 0 - 0
USA 5 - 6 - 4 - 15

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Coyne (Mangene, Picard), 2:03 (pp); 2, USA, Fry (Bizzari, Gedman), 2:33; 3, USA, Ammerman (Hickel), 6:42; 4, USA, Carpenter (unassisted), 8:41; 5, USA, Carpenter (Skarupa), 15:38. Penalties: CZE, Vonkova (hooking), 1:55; USA, Bona (body checking), 4:54; CZE, Vytiskova (body checking), 6:06; CZE, Kuzelova (cross-checking), 8:56; USA, Fry (hooking), 11:45.

Second Period - Scoring: 6. USA, Lorence (Skarupa, Figueroa), 1:49; 7, USA, Carpenter (Lorence, Skarupa), 8:16; 8, USA, Skarupa (Pfalzer), 11:24 (pp); 9, USA, Carpenter (Picard, Mangene), 15:58 (pp); 10, USA, Coyne (unassisted), 16:05; 11, USA, Coyne (Wasylk, Pfalzer), 16:39. Penalties: CZE, Kubatova (cross-checking), 2:36; USA, Bona (hooking), 6:00; CZE, Solnickova (body checking), 10:25; CZE, Novakova (hooking), 15:44.

Third Period - Scoring: 12, USA, Wasylk (Pelkey), 4:29 (pp); 13, USA, Coyne (Mangene, Skarupa), 5:35; 14, USA, Gedman (Pfalzer, Ammerman), 9:18; 15, USA, Skarupa (Lorence), 11:24. Penalties: CZE, Eibinova (interference), 3:46.

Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total

CZE 7 6 3 16
USA 26 19 22 67
         
Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
CZE, Craigova, 28:41 9-5 x-x 22-18 31-23
CZE, Hladikova, 31:19 17-16 19-13 x-x 36-29
USA, Moore, 60:00 7-7 6-6 3-3 16-16

Power Play: CZE 0-3; USA 4-7
Penalties: CZE 7-12; USA 3-6
Officials: Referee-Paivi Laurla (FIN); Linesmen-Therese Bjorkman (SWE), Helene Roy (CAN)