Aleardi traded from Rangers to Bulls

The Kitchener Rangers announced today that the team has completed a trade with the Belleville Bulls.

In the deal, the Rangers trade Alex Aleardi (Farmington Hills) and Kitchener's fifth round draft choice in 2011 to Belleville for Matt Tipoff and Belleville's first round CHL Import Draft pick in 2010.

Aleardi was originally Kitchener's third round pick in the 2008 OHL Priority Selection out of the Compuware minor midget program.

Photo courtesy Walt Dmoch

North Stars-IceDiggers game postponed

The Traverse City North Stars will not be able to extend their current winning streak to seven tonight in Alpena as the game has been postponed.

With a number of players on both teams out impacted by sickness, the contest has been stricken from the NAHL slate and will be made up an a yet-unspecified date.

“Postponing games isn’t something anyone wants to have to do,” said Stars head coach-GM Anthony Palumbo. “But you have to have players to play a hockey game and there simply weren’t enough available guys to field a full team on either side. There really wasn’t much of a choice here.”

The North Stars (14-4-1) will now have the weekend off to try to get healthy for a pair of Thanksgiving holiday weekend affairs at Centre ICE arena against Alpena (6-15-0). The IceDiggers will visit for the annual Thanksgiving Eve classic and then make a return appearance on Saturday evening. Both games face-off at 7:00 p.m.

Mantay contributing to surging Jets

It’s not everyday that a team can move their best defenseman up front to play forward, but that’s what the Metro Jets have done with veteran Brett Grech.

Much of that has to do with the depth the Jets have on the blue line and also due to the recent emergence of rookie Dylan Mantay.

Mantay, a 2009 draft pick of the Jets and one of 10 draft picks to play for the team this year, only goes 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, but that hasn’t been an issue thus far.

“Dylan is one of the best technical skaters on the team,” Metro GM Butch Wolfe said. “This helps him balance his lack of stature. Most of the time, he’s a very smart hockey player, too.”

Jets coach Ryan Skop also noted that Mantay’s adjustment period to the CSHL level is becoming more and more evident with each game.

“Mants has really started to turn his game on lately,” Skop said. “He's been able to adjust to the speed of the game and the style of the game pretty well, and has really started to become an asset for us on the back end.”

Skop also said that the progression of Mantay, an 18-year-old Troy native, is just what the team expected coming into the season.

“We knew what we were getting with Dylan,” said Skop. “He's one of our more talented guys on the back end. He's got great feet, probably the best feet on our team, and in fact, the kid’s probably one of the best two or three athletes on our team period. He's got good vision, makes a good first pass, and is pretty fundamentally sound.”

Mantay, part of the Summit Plastics Midget AA state championship team of a year ago, has also started to improve in the areas of the game where he needed work.

“Our concern with Mants was the physical side of the game,” explained Skop. “Dylan's really figured out how to deal with that lately and has been much more effective because of it. We've been on him about engaging a bit more and he's really responded to that. He's finishing every check, getting up in every play, and really just playing bigger than he is.

“He's not a monster back there, but pound for pound, he's a pretty strong guy.”

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD

Metro traveled to Dubuque last weekend and came home with a point after losing in a shootout Friday night, 4-3.

Josh Magnan, Jon Wickersham and Jon Elliott scored in regulation and R.J. Heath made 45 saves in goal. Dubuque tied the game with four seconds left in the third period.

The Thunderbirds came back Saturday night and blanked the Jets, 5-0.

Heath started and made seven saves in the first period before Ian Mercer took over and stopped 18 of 19 shots in the final 40 minutes.

Metro (5-10-0-2) will now gear up for a three-in-three stretch in Ohio. The Jets play in Toledo tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. and then in Cleveland Saturday night (9:00 p.m.) and Sunday afternoon (1:30 p.m.).

Next home action for the Jets back at Lakeland Arena is Sunday, Nov. 29 at 1:20 p.m. versus Motor City.

JET FUEL

Rookie forward Matt Moeller, out since the middle of October with a knee injury, will be back in the lineup this weekend for the Jets.

Tim Hooker, a forward who hasn’t played yet this year recovering from shoulder surgery, has been practicing with the team and should make his season debut in the coming weeks.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Forward Dustin Cloutier, who played for the Jets during the 2002-2003 season, is in his junior year playing Division I hockey at Bentley College in Waltham, Mass.

Cloutier, a 23-year-old from Berkley, also played one year with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and another with the NAHL’s Mahoning Valley Phantoms before arriving at Bentley in the fall of 2007.

The IHL’s Fort Wayne Komets signed ex-Metro goalie Tyler Sims, another member of the 2002-2003 team, this week.

Photo by Andy Grossman

Two Saginaw forwards ranked by NHL

The National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Bureau released its Fall 2009 Preliminary Rankings for the top North American junior hockey players eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft today and the Saginaw Spirit was well represented on the list, with center Ivan Telegin ranked ninth overall and winger Josh Shalla ranked 22nd overall amongst the top 25 eligible Ontario Hockey League skaters.

Telegin is enjoying a breakout rookie season in Saginaw, having notched 16 goals and 10 assists in his first 22 OHL games. The Novokuznetsk, Russia native was selected by the Spirit 42nd overall in the 2009 CHL Import Draft.

Shalla (pictured) is in his third season in the OHL and his first with the Spirit. He has tallied 14 goals and 11 assists in 22 games this season, for an OHL career total of 28 goals and 17 assists in 89 regular season games. The Spirit acquired Shalla via a trade with the Guelph Storm this past summer.

Seguin and Hackett lead the Whalers

Courtesy Plymouth Whalers

Plymouth Whalers center Tyler Seguin wanted to get off to a good start this season.

His good start has catapulted him to the top of the National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Preliminary Rankings among OHL players for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, held June 25-26, 2010 in Los Angeles.

Plymouth defenseman Austin Levi checks in at #24 and Whalers goaltender Scott Wedgewood is rated sixth among OHL goaltenders in the preliminary rankings.

Even missing a few games because of a lower-body injury hasn’t clouded Seguin’s good start (19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points in 18 games) in the eyes of NHL scouts.

"Tyler Seguin has had a great start to the season," Central Scouting's Chris Edwards told NHL.com. "He has been producing and playing consistently well. He makes things happen every time he is on the ice and he makes his teammates better."

Seguin (pictured), Windsor left wing Taylor Hall and Spitfire defenseman Cam Fowler has gone 1-2-3 all season long among OHL players up for the NHL Entry Draft.

"Hall is a proven player, he won the Memorial Cup MVP last year and for good reason," Edwards said. "Both of these players (Seguin and Hall) will be very good pros."

Central Scouting annually ranks the top 25 skaters and top six goaltenders for the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Western Hockey League and United States Hockey League, which now includes the United States National Team Development Program.

And while Seguin, Levi and Wedgewood are going through the NHL Draft, Whalers goaltender Matt Hackett continues to be the glue around Plymouth’s success.

Drafted in the third round (77th overall) by the Minnesota Wild in the 2009 National Hockey League Entry Draft, Hackett has picked up the pace from October on.

In October, Hackett posted a 2.53 goals against average and .928 percentage in 11 games and was named Canadian Hockey League Goaltender of the Week for the week ending October 25.
He’s been even better in early November, posting a 2.00 GAA and .953 save percentage through five games.

It’s obvious that Hackett is playing with a lot of confidence this season.

“I felt I had a great year last year,” he said Tuesday. “I went to Minnesota and they said they loved everything about me. They were impressed with how I played (at training camp) and they gave me a shot to play in an NHL exhibition game, so it gave me a lot of confidence knowing they have that much confidence in me.

“Coming in here (this year), I wanted to show the boys that I was ready to play. We’re going to make a push for the playoffs this year and (I feel) we’re going to go deep in the playoffs.”

Hackett wants to be named to Team Canada for the upcoming World Junior Championships, held in Regina and Saskatoon, SK from December 26-January 5.

“It’s a big goal of mine,” he admitted. “Since I’ve been a kid, I’ve been watching the World Junior Championships at Christmas time. It’s always in the back of my mind, obviously. I want to make big saves at key times. I want to win games right now and prove to them (Hockey Canada) that I can play on that team.”

Watch the Whalers and you’ll see how hard Hackett’s teammates work for him.

“They’re just a bunch of great guys,” Hackett said. “We all get along and we’re all good friends here. We all want to make each other better. We all work hard for each other and in the end, that’s how we win games.”

Photo by Walt Dmoch

Kettering trio together again with Jets

The Metro Jets have had their share of local players suit up over the years, but none have shared the bond that Steve Lockwood, Josh Magnan and David Merkle share on and off the ice.

It’s a bond that goes back several years, too.

All three grew up in the area and all graduated from Waterford Kettering High School. They’re also the best of friends.

“Me and Lock started going to middle school together at Mason and throughout high school at Kettering,” said Magnan, who played against Merkle and Lockwood at Lakeland Arena when he was with the USA Eagles. “Me and Merk started at Kettering and we weren’t exactly inseparable, but we were always aound the school together.”

“Me and Lox have been friends since Pee Wee when we played on the Lakeland Hawks together,” added Merkle, a White Lake native. “Mags and I started to be friends when I went to high school and started practicing with Kettering. Once I was in tenth grade and I was on the high school team with them, you could find us in the hallways chatting it up about some puck.”

“Merk and I have been pretty close friends growing up through high schooI,” Lockwood said. “I met Mags in middle school, but we weren’t really good friends until high school when we started to play on the same team.”

Now with the Jets, each has a role they play to a ‘T’ for the suddenly resurgent Jets. Lockwood, a 19-year-old from Clarkston, is the steady second-year defenseman with a knack for keeping the opposition honest, Magnan, also 19 and a Waterford native, is the offesnive catalyst and leads the team with 11 tallies and the 18-year-old Merkle, whose brother, Karl, played for the Jets in the 1996-1997 season, is a solid second-line forward.

Being friends off the ice has helped the on-ice play for all three, who have also all called Lakeland home for more than 10 years.

“I think it’s a good thing because we have built chemistry between us and can read off each other on the ice,” said Lockwood.

“It's nice having some teammates on the Jets that I know,” Merkle said. “It was an easy transition coming to a new team already knowing Mags and Lox.”

Magnan said he almost didn’t get the chance to get to know Lakeland and his future buddies.

“My dad always loved the game of hockey, so he was going to start me up at Lakeland, but back in the day there was a two-year waiting list, so I started off my hockey career at Southfield,” remembered Magnan. “I played there till Pee Wee AA. Then I came to Lakeland and played for the USA Eagles travel team until Bantam A and then I started playing varsity hockey for Waterford Kettering.”

After this season, each one has different aspirations as to what they are shooting for hockey-wise.”I'm not too sure what’s next in store for me as far as hockey goes,” Merkle said. “I'm just working hard day to day and wherever that takes me I guess that's where I'll end up.”

“I'd like to play in the NAHL next season, but hard work comes first,” added Lockwood. “I have things I need to work on to improve so I can make it to that next level.”

“I’d really like to find a decent D-III school where I could play because I’m already two years behind my graduating class,” said Magnan. “If that falls through, maybe I might just go to college, but the NAHL is never out of the equation.”

Wherever these three lifelong friends wind up, you can bet they will always stay in touch and pick up where they left off.

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD

The Jets took both games last weekend as they topped Motor City Friday night on the road, 4-3, and then defeated Grand Rapids, 4-3, in an overtime thriller as Magnan completed his hat trick 2:05 into OT.

Goaltender R.J. Heath won both games for the Jets.

Metro (5-10-0-1), winners of four of their last five games, heads to Dubuque this weekend for two with the defending Hurster Cup champs tonight and Saturday night. The Thunderbirds blanked the Jets, 6-0, at Lakeland back on Oct. 18.

The Jets stay on the road next weekend for three games in three days as they play in Toledo next Friday night and then follow that up with two in Cleveland.

Metro’s next home game is Sunday, Nov. 29 against Motor City.

JET FUEL

Forward Mike Herter was released Monday. The 18-year-old was held pointless in six games for the Jets.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Former head coach Jon Cooper, who guided the Jets to the 2002 Silver Cup Junior B national championship, is now coaching the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. In 2007 and 2008, Cooper led the NAHL’s St. Louis Bandits to the Robertson Cup title.

Photo (l-r) - Lockwood, Magnan, Merkle

O'Connor named to Team OHL roster

New Saginaw Spirit defenseman Ryan O’Connor has been added to the Team OHL roster for the 2009 Subway Super Series, which will see Team Russia squaring off against the Canadian Hockey League’s best.

O’Connor will participate in the Windsor game of the six game series, taking place on November 23.

The announcement by Team OHL came on the heels of Team Russia’s naming of Spirit forward Ivan Telegin to their roster for the event, pitting the two teammates against each other as they represent their respective countries.

O’Connor is no stranger to international play, having participated in the 2009 World Hockey Challenge with Team Ontario’s Under-17 squad and winning a gold medal with Team Canada’s Under-18 team in the 2009 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament.

The Hamilton, Ont., native has tallied two goals and 10 assists in 20 games this season.

Rangers hosting Outlaws this weekend

The Marquette Rangers' schedule for 2009-10 has some new faces for fans to see this year and this weekend is a prime example as the Rangers will host the North Iowa Outlaws of the North American Hockey League Central Division.

The two teams have met before, at the NAHL Showcase in 2007 and 2008, and are 1-1 against each other over that span.

Regardless of the opponent, the Rangers are in need of a solid weekend having gone 1-5 in their last six games, including a split last weekend with the Janesville Jets at Lakeview Arena.

Despite the recent setbacks, Marquette remains in second place in the North Division, three points behind first place Traverse City. The Rangers are two points ahead of Janesville for third in the division.

Marquette continues to be led in scoring by Garrett Ladd (6g 12a, 18pts) and Andrew Kolb (8g 10a, 18pts), with Brent Bain (17 pts), Collin Saint-Onge (13 pts) and Tanner Kero (11 pts) all reaching double digits in scoring for the team.

The Outlaws currently share first place in the Central Division with the Owatonna Express.

Several events are planned for fans during the weekend, including the team’s third annual “Save A Buck Night” on Saturday evening. Friday is “Scary Movie Night” in celebration of Friday the 13th.

Spirit rookie named to Team Russia

Saginaw Spirit forward Ivan Telegin has been named to Team Russia’s roster for the 2009 Subway Super Series, which will pit Team Russia against the Canadian Hockey League’s best.

Telegin will play in the Windsor game of the six-game series, on November 23.

Telegin enters the week as the top scoring rookie in the Ontario Hockey League with 14 goals and 10 assists in 20 games.

The Novokuznetsk, Russia native is also considered a top prosepct for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Saginaw makes big trade with Barrie

The Saginaw Spirit completed a trade with the Eastern Conference’s Barrie Colts today.

Saginaw has acquired defenseman Ryan O’Connor (right) and forward Michael Sgarbossa (left) in the deal that sees Barrie receive defensemen T.J. Brodie and Nick Crawford. The Colts also received a third-round pick in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection.

“We are excited for this deal and feel that it is a great trade for all parties,” stated Spirit coach-GM Todd Watson. “We are getting additional years of service with this trade that will pay dividends this season and beyond. Ryan and Michael are highly-talented skaters that will contribute instantly. Brodie and Crawford have played significant roles with the Spirit these past seasons and we are happy that they are going to a great program like the Barrie Colts where they will continue to find success on and off the ice.”

O’Connor enjoyed a successful rookie season that saw him post 10 goals and 25 assists in 62 games. The Hamilton, Ont., native has tallied two goals and 10 assists in 19 games this season. O’Connor posted a four-point game (two goals and two assists) against the Kingston Frontenacs on December 12, 2008, and a three-point game (goal and two assists) against the Oshawa Generals on October 8, 2009.

“Ryan is a highly-skilled defenseman that can really move the puck, as evident by him being named to the OHL All-Rookie Second Team last season," noted Watson.

Barrie selected O’Connor sixth overall in the 2008 Priority Selection after a stint with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens minor midgets. O’Connor scored two goals and five assists to help the Canadiens win the 2008 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament. He was selected to Team Ontario’s roster for the 2009 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge and helped Team Canada’s Under-18 squad win the gold medal in the 2009 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament. O’Connor is eligible for 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Sgarbossa had a prolific rookie season as well, notching 10 goals and 33 assists in 67 games. The Campbellville, Ont., native has tallied seven goals and 13 assists in 19 games this season. He posted two goals in Barrie’s home opener against the Owen Sound Attack on September 17, 2009, and had a four-point effort (two goals and two assists) against the Erie Otters on October 10, 2009.

“Michael is a tough competitor that can put up some big points with his scoring ability,” said Watson.

Barrie selected Sgarbossa 54th overall in 2008 after a campaign with the Halton Hurricanes minor midgets. He tallied three goals and two assists in four games during the 2008 OHL Cup. Sgarbossa is also eligible for 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Brodie is playing in his fourth Ontario Hockey League season and was signed by the Calgary Flames over the summer. Crawford, also playing his fourth OHL season, was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

“The Barrie Colts will love the talent, leadership and character, both on and off the ice, of Nick Crawford and T.J. Brodie," said Spirit president and partner Craig Goslin. "We wish both of these fine young men all the best with their new opportunity in Barrie and in the rest of their hockey careers. We, too, are equally as excited to be welcoming Michael Sgarbossa and Ryan O’Connor to the Saginaw Spirit. From all reports, if our fans like the moves that Watson has made to date with Ivan Telegin, Anthony Camara, Vince Trocheck, Josh Shalla, Garret Ross and more, then you will also like our new additions of Michael Sgarbossa and Ryan O’Connor.

"Dick (Garber) and I are confident that Todd and his staff are building a championship quality contender one piece at a time.”

“It’s tough losing two guys that were a big part of the team on and off the ice, but we are excited for them and us as this trade provides a whole new dynamic,” stated Spirit captain Tyler Murovich. “It sounds like both guys will jump right in and help us continue our successful start to the season."

Photos by Terry Wilson/OHL Images

Drake & Co. a benefit for North Stars

Courtesy NAHL

When Dallas Drake skated around Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena with the Stanley Cup back in June of 2008 as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, he knew his NHL career was going out on a high note.

But even as a summer-long party ensued in Detroit, Drake (pictured) quietly announced his retirement and made his way to his new home in Traverse City.

One year later, he’s a part owner of the Traverse City North Stars and enjoying his time staying in hockey, but without the spotlight.

“I love being at the rink,” said Drake. “I’m really a hockey geek and just love watching games and coaching the kids at the younger levels.”

Drake gets out into the Traverse City community to promote the North Stars and help get fans into Centre ICE arena. He said he initially came on board when founding owner Steve Fournier approached him to buy into the team.

“I’m here to help in any way I can,” said Drake, who played 15 years in the NHL. “Whether it’s sponsorships or just getting more people to the rink, I’ll do whatever I can. We have a great group of kids here who all want to play Division I hockey and the North American League is a very exciting league to watch.”

Drake was one of several new pieces brought into the North Stars’ expanded ownership group. The husband-wife team of Richard and Raj Wiener, lawyers based out of Lansing, are also new to the fold. Raj is more of the hands-on owner while Richard keeps things running at their law office in Lansing. When asked why she decided to get involved with owning a hockey team, Raj showed her sense of humor right from the start.

“Well, I’m questioning my sanity,” she laughed. “I do a lot of the mundane stuff, like the financial aspects and not any of the on-ice things. It costs money to run a team like this; it doesn’t happen on its own.”

Over the summer, North Stars head coach and general manager Anthony Palumbo called Lansing Capitals Midget Major coach Dean Dixon for help in finding ways to keep the North Stars in Traverse City. Dixon then contacted the Wieners.

“We’ve had a home in Traverse City for 30 years, so to help out was really an easy step,” Wiener said. “Anthony runs a great program and has really built a strong team this year. He believes in getting the kids out into the community; whether it’s with Big Brothers/Big Sisters or Habitat For Humanity, everyone is always ready to help."

Raj also credits Drake for his passion for the community, the team and the NAHL.

“Dallas has just been wonderful,” said Wiener. “He brings so much knowledge to the team and really does more for the team than he lets on. Dallas is a very humble person.”

So far, Traverse City has shown it’s a contender in the league (the North Stars sit atop the North Division standings with 25 points after 17 games) and that in itself has impressed Drake, who admitted he hasn’t watched a whole lot of junior hockey the past 15 years or so.

“The teams I’ve seen come in here, like Wenatchee and Janesville, have looked very solid,” said Drake. “I think from top to bottom, the whole league has a lot of good players and they have a lot of good opportunities in this league.”

And while most teams prepare on a season-to-season basis, when it comes to ownership, that’s a totally different story.

“We came in here with a three-year plan,” explained Wiener. “The foundation for what we have now was laid by the Fourniers and we’re excited to build off of it.”

U.S. Junior Selects defend world title

Eamonn McDermott tallied a goal and an assist as the U.S. Junior Select Team captured its second straight World Junior A Challenge championship with a 2-1 win over Canada West tonight at Credit Union Place in Summerside, P.E.I.

Team USA finished the tournament with a 4-0-1-0 record.

"The team showed some great resiliency, not only tonight, but for the entire tournament," said Mark Carlson, head coach of the 2009 U.S. Junior Select Team. "They continued to fight when trailing tonight and the coaching staff is extremely proud of their effort. It's a great feeling winning the championship for the second straight year."

After a scoreless opening period, Kellen Jones netted a power-play goal at 10:01 of the second period to give Canada West a 1-0 lead.

The U.S. tied the game with McDermott's power-play marker at 16:07 of the middle frame. Shane Berschbach passed to David Gerths in the slot, who fired the puck on net. McDermott slid down from his defensive spot and knocked the rebound past Canadian West goaltender Sean Bonar.

In the final stanza, Matt Leitner scored the game-winning goal 50 seconds into the period. After collecting a Nick Mattson pass, McDermott passed to Leitner up the left wing. He beat a defenseman and fired the puck through Bonar's five-hole while falling to the ice.

U.S. netminder Eric Mihalik turned aside 28 shots in the championship-winning effort.

USA Under-18s win Four Nations Cup

Nick Shore scored a pair of goals in the first period as the U.S. National Under-18 Team dropped Switzerland, 3-2, tonight in the finale of the 2009 Under-18 Four Nations Cup in Pori, Finland.

Team USA finished with a perfect 3-0-0-0 record to capture the tournament title.

"This was a good week for us," said Kurt Kleinendorst, head coach of the U.S. National Under-18 Team. "Playing three games in three nights is always tough. Switzerland battled hard the whole way tonight, but we did what we had to do to win. We're definitely happy to come out of this tournament on top."

Switzerland stunned the U.S. just 10 seconds into the game when Joel Vermin put the puck past Andy Iles. Just 13 seconds after falling behind, 1-0, Jason Zucker's feed from behind the net found Shore who fired the puck into the top corner to knot the score. In a similar style as Team USA's first goal, Brandon Saad's pass from behind the Finland cage found Shore who put the puck past netminder Dennis Saikkonen at 12:06 to give the U.S. a 2-1 lead.

With just seven seconds to play in a hotly contested second stanza, Stephen Johns collected a rebound in front of the net and slid the puck to Charlie Coyle, who wired a shot past Saikkonen from the high slot to give Team USA a 3-1 advantage.

Switzerland battled hard throughout the third period and was able to get back within a goal when Kaj Leuenberger scored with just 3:49 to play in regulation. Iles and the defensive unit held strong the rest of the way, however, to allow Team USA to earn the 3-2 victory.

Iles made 22 saves to earn his second win of the tournament.

USA Under-17s win Four Nations Cup

Rocco Grimaldi notched three points and Seth Ambroz scored twice as the U.S. National Under-17 Team rolled past Switzerland, 8-2, to capture first place at the 2009 Under-17 Four Nations Cup in Trnava, Slovakia, with a perfect 3-0-0-0 record.

"Obviously this was a great way to end the tournament," said Ron Rolston, head coach of the U.S. National Under-17 Team. "We definitely played our best game today. It's always great to win a championship. We'll look to build off of this week and take this momentum into our USHL competition when we get back."

Ambroz opened the scoring just 1:16 into the contest when he tipped Barrett Kaib's point shot past netminder Patrick Bonvin. After being hauled down one a breakaway at 6:35, Grimaldi was awarded a penalty shot. Grimaldi skated in on Bonvin, deked to open up the five hole and slipped the puck through to double the U.S. lead. Reid Boucher converted on a rebound chance from the right side at 15:16 to make it 3-0. Sven Andrighetto notched a power-play goal at 17:14 to get the Swiss on the board.

It was all Team USA in the second stanza, as it got four goals from four different players. Just 1:35 into the period, Blake Pietila took a stretch pass from Jake McCabe, skated in on a breakaway, deked to his backhand and roofed the puck just under the crossbar to make it 4-1. Just 2:19 later, Michael Paliotta's feed sent J.T. Miller on a breakaway and Miller slipped the puck under new netminder Luca Boltshauser to give the U.S. a four-goal advantage. At 16:16, Miller took a shot that hit both the post and crossbar before bouncing to Ryan Haggerty who tapped it home to make it 6-1. Just 44 seconds later, Grimaldi won a draw back to Tyler Biggs, who snapped it past Boltshauser to give Team USA a 7-1 lead. U.S. goaltender Matt McNeely stopped all nine shots he saw in the stanza to keep Switzerland at a distance.

Robin Leone scored 1:28 into the final frame for Switzerland and Ambroz tallied a power-play marker at 16:45 to account for the 8-2 final.

McNeely made 23 stops to earn his second win of the tournament.