🇺🇸 United States 6-2 Slovakia 🇸🇰
Exhibition Game
Slush Puppie Place, Kingston 🇨🇦
Saturday, 21 December 2024

Ryan Leonard had two goals and an assist, while Cole Hutson added three assists to help the U.S. National Junior Team to a 6-2 victory over Slovakia here tonight at Slush Puppie Place in pre-tournament action ahead of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.

The U.S. will play its second and final pre-tournament game on Monday, 23 December in Cornwall, Ontario, at the Cornwall Civic Complex against Finland.

“It was good to get a game in as we continue to build for the official start of the World Juniors,” said David Carle, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team and also the head men’s ice hockey coach at the University of Denver. “I thought we certainly did some good things and this will help us as we continue to shape our team.”

Team USA had a 2-0 advantage after the opening 20 minutes. Austin Burnevik opened the scoring when he put one home at 10:18 from the side of the left circle. Brandon Svoboda and Logan Hensler drew assists on the play. Then, with just 0:12 left in the frame, Leonard wristed a laser from between the circles past Slovakian netminder Alan Lenďák. Gabe Perreault and Hutson earned assists on the goal. U.S. netminder Hampton Slukynsky was sharp, stopping all seven shots he faced.

Slukynsky made three tough saves on point-blank chances in the first 5:00 of the middle frame to maintain the U.S. advantage. Slovakia got on the board at 10:12 after Peter Císar converted a two-on-one chance. Just 1:13 later the U.S. regained its two-goal advantage thanks to James Hagens, who backhanded one in from the bottom of the right circle off a feed from Teddy Stiga. Leonard then scored with 0:08 left in the stanza to give the U.S. a 4-1 advantage after 40 minutes.

Slovakia cut the U.S. lead to 4-2 at 6:18 of the final period when Juraj Pekarčík beat Sam Hillebrandt just inside the far post on the glove side on the power play. Trevor Connelly scored from the right circle at 12:54 to make it 5-2 for Team USA before Danny Nelson converted on the power play at 16:11 with help from Brodie Ziemer and Hutson.

Slukynsky started in goal for the U.S. and made 13 saves on 14 shots in the first half of the contest, while Hillebrandt had 9 saves on 10 shots.

NOTES: The U.S. was 1-3 on the power play, while Slovakia was 1-3…Each team had 25 shots on goal…Team USA dressed 14 forwards and eight defencemen for the game along with goaltenders Slukynsky and Hillebrandt…A total of 12 different players recorded points in the contest.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
10:18 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Burnevik (Svoboda, Hensler)
14:51 – 🇸🇰 PEN – Vojtech, holding
17:27 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Eiserman, cross checking
19:48 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Leonard (Perreault, Hutson)

2nd Period
25:52 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Connelly, hooking
30:12 – 🇸🇰 GOAL – Císar (Pobežal, Valent)
31:25 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Hagens (Leonard, Stiga)
39:52 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Leonard (Perreault, Minnetian)

3rd Period
44:40 – 🇸🇰 PEN – Císar, roughing
46:18 – 🇸🇰 GOAL – Pekarčík (Pobežal,Štrbák)
47:00 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Buium, holding
52:54 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Connelly (Nelson, Hutson)
55:44 – 🇸🇰 PEN – Pišoja, tripping
56:11 – 🇺🇸 PP GOAL – Nelson (Ziemer, Connelly)

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇺🇸 Slukynsky (13-14), Hillebrandt (9-10)
L: 🇸🇰 Lenďák (19-25)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇺🇸 7+9+9 = 25
🇸🇰 7+8+9 = 24

ROSTERS
🇺🇸 Goaltenders: Sam Hillebrandt, Hampton Slukynsky. Defence: Zeev Buium (A), Paul Fischer, Drew Fortescue, Logan Hensler, Cole Hutson, Adam Kleber, Aram Minnetian, Colin Ralph. Forwards: Austin Burnevik, Trevor Connelly, Cole Eiserman, James Hagens, Ryan Leonard (C), Oliver Moore, Danny Nelson, Gabe Perreault (A), Max Plante, Teddy Stiga, Brandon Svoboda, Carey Terrance, Joey Willis, Brodie Ziemer.
🇸🇰 Goaltenders: Alan Lenďák, Samuel Urban. Defence: Richard Baran, Adam Beluško, Jakub Chromiak, Tomáš Královič, Milan Pišoja, Luka Radivojevič, Maxim Štrbák (C), Peter Valent. Forwards: Adam Cedzo, Ján Chovan, Peter Císar, František Dej, Róbert Fedor, Daniel Jenčko, Lukáš Klečka, Roman Kukumberg, Andrej Párička, Juraj Pekarčík (A), Tobias Pitka, Tomáš Pobežal, Matúš Vojtech.

Article Credit: USA Hockey
Photo Credit: USA Hockey – IIHF – HHOF – IOC