February 4, 2010
U17s top Lincoln, 5-2
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Adam Reid (Chino Hills, Calif.) posted three points (1-2) as the U.S. National Under-17 Team earned a 5-2 decision over the Lincoln Stars here tonight at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.
Team USA took the game's first lead when Travis Boyd (Hopkins, Minn.) picked up a loose puck in the slot and wristed it into the top-right corner at 9:08 of the opening stanza. Just 36 seconds later, Ryan Dzingel chipped home a rebound to knot the score for Lincoln.
With the U.S. on a power play, Luke Moffatt (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) made it 2-1 when he blasted home a long rebound from the left faceoff dot at 8:36. Zac Larraza (Scottsdale, Ariz.) doubled Team USA's advantage after taking a drop pass from Kevin Clare (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and wiring a wrist shot inside the right post at 12:45. Netminder Matt McNeely (Burnsville, Minn.) stopped all 12 shots he faced to keep the Stars off the board in the middle frame.
Just 21 seconds into the third stanza, Reid's off-the-boards pass sprung Matthew Nieto (Long Beach, Calif.) down the left wing. Nieto then cut to the net and slipped the puck under new netminder Jared Coreau to give the U.S. a 4-1 advantage. Garrett Peterson scored a 5-on-3 power-play goal for Lincoln to cut the deficit in half at 11:20. With 1:30 remaining in regulation and the Lincoln net vacant in favor of an extra attacker, Reid stole the puck in the neutral zone and slid it inside the left post from just outside the blue line to ice the 5-2 victory.
McNeely made 41 saves to earn the win for Team USA.
The U.S. National Under-17 Team will travel to Piestany, Slovakia, for the 2010 Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament which runs from Feb. 11-13. Team USA will meet host Slovakia in a pre-tournament tune-up Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. (9:15 a.m. EST).
NOTES: Adam Reid has posted seven points (3-4) in his last five games ... Six members of the U.S. National Under-18 Team played for the U.S. National Under-17 Team tonight ... The U.S. National Under-18 Team takes on Lincoln Friday at 3:05 p.m. EST at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.
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