🇺🇸 United States 10-5 Sweden 🇸🇪
Exhibition Game
Rogers K-Rock Centre, Kingston 🇨🇦
Tuesday, 23 December 2014

Alex Tuch scored three times, while Tyler Motte and Auston Matthews each scored twice to help propel the U.S. National Junior Team to a 10-5 victory over Sweden tonight in the final pre-tournament game for both teams in advance of the upcoming 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship.

A total of 14 different players put up points for Team USA, including a five-assist effort from Sonny Milano.

“We generated some offence and that was certainly great to see,” said Mark Osiecki, head coach of the 2015 U.S. National Junior Team. “We have some things to work on, but I like our group as we head into the World Juniors.”

The teams combined for five first period goals. Like Sunday night when the U.S. beat Germany, J.T. Compher opened the scoring, only this time he did it in shorthanded fashion just 1:02 into the game with a shot low to the glove side of Swedish netminder Samuel Ward. John Hayden drew an assist on the play. The U.S. took a 2-0 lead at 6:12 when Brandon Carlo’s shot from the right point deflected in. Sweden’s Anton Blidh scored just 10 seconds later, and Gusav Forsling evened the game off a deflected shot at 11:13. But the U.S. held a 3-2 lead after the opening period thanks to a determined effort by Auston Matthews in front off the rebound of a Milano shot. Nick Schmaltz also drew an assist on the goal.

The U.S. broke the game open with three goals in the first half of the middle stanza and led 7-2 after 40 minutes. Tuch lasered one home from the top of the right circle at 2:14 and scored another with the U.S. on the power play at 6:01 when he went from backhand to forehand in tight. Schmaltz beat Ward between the legs on the power play at 7:28 for a 6-2 lead before Motte converted a Swedish turnover at 13:32 from the bottom of the left circle.

Motte, Matthews and Tuch all scored in the third period for the U.S. Hudson Fasching passed across the slot to Motte on two-on-one, and Motte found the back of the net at 3:29. Matthews fired one home from the slot at 14:31, before Tuch finished the scoring for Team USA with a tip in front on a five-on-three power play at 18:40.

Thatcher Demko played the first two periods in goal for the U.S. and made 14 saves on 16 shots. Brandon Halverson made six saves on nine shots in the third period.

The U.S. will open play in the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship Friday in Montréal at the Bell Centre against Finland.

NOTES: A total of 14 different players recorded at least one point in tonight’s game…Following the game, the U.S. released two players in forwards Jeremy Bracco and Cole Cassels.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
0:09 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Larkin, high sticking
01:02 – 🇺🇸 SH GOAL – Compher (Hayden)
06:12 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Carlo (Milano, Butcher)
06:22 – 🇸🇪 GOAL – Blidh (Karlsson)
11:13 – 🇸🇪 GOAL – Forsling (Nylander, Kempe)
13:42 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Matthews (Milano, Schmaltz)

2nd Period
22:14 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Tuch (McCoshen, Demko)
24:38 – 🇸🇪 PEN – Kempe, hooking
26:01 – 🇺🇸 PP GOAL – Tuch (Schmaltz, Werenski)
26:25 – 🇸🇪 PEN – Englund, interference
27:28 – 🇺🇸 PP GOAL – Schmaltz (Milano, Werenski)
33:32 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Motte

3rd Period
43:29 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Motte (Fasching, Larkin)
45:23 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Hayden, holding
45:37 – 🇸🇪 PP GOAL – Holmström (Forsling, Nylander)
46:14 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Motte, roughing
46:14 – 🇸🇪 PEN – Englund, roughing
50:03 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Hayden, high sticking
54:31 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Matthews (Werenski, Milano)
55:58 – 🇸🇪 GOAL – Englund (Holmström, Bristedt)
57:15 – 🇸🇪 PEN – Karlsson, slashing
57:41 – 🇸🇪 PEN – Bristedt, high sticking
58:40 – 🇺🇸 PP2 GOAL – Tuch (Schmaltz, Milano)
59:57 – 🇸🇪 GOAL – Lööke (Bristedt, Wallmark)

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇺🇸 Demko (14-16), Halverson (6-9)
L: 🇸🇪 Ward (28-38)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇺🇸 11+17+10 = 38
🇸🇪 8+8+9 = 25

ROSTERS
🇺🇸 Goaltenders: Thatcher Demko, Brandon Halverson. Defence: Will Butcher, Brandon Carlo, Ryan Collins, Anthony DeAngelo, Noah Hanifin, Ian McCoshen, Steven Santini, Zach Werenski. Forwards: Jeremy Bracco, Cole Cassels, J.T. Compher, Chase De Leo, Jack Eichel, Hudson Fasching, John Hayden, Dylan Larkin, Anthony Louis, Auston Matthews, Sonny Milano, Tyler Motte, Nick Schmaltz, Alex Tuch, Miles Wood.
🇸🇪 Goaltenders: Fredrik Bergvik, Linus Söderström, Samuel Ward. Defence: Sebastian Aho, Julius Bergman, Andreas Englund, Gustav Forsling, Robert Hägg, William Lagesson, Robin Norell. Forwards: Anton Blidh, Leon Bristedt, Adam Brodecki, Jacob de la Rose, Christoffer Ehn, Axel Holmström, Anton Karlsson, Adrian Kempe, Oskar Lindblom, Jens Lööke, William Nylander, Victor Olofsson, Lucas Wallmark.

Article Credit: USA Hockey