Dennis Yan (2 goals, 2 assists) and U.S. Under-18 Select Team Tops Russia, 7-4, in Hlinka Cup

BRECLAV, CZECH REPUBLIC — The U.S. Under-18 Select Team defeated Russia, 7-4, in its second game of the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. Beginning late in the second period, the U.S. scored four straight goals to capture the win. Team USA’s Brock Boeser (Burnsville, Minn.) tallied a hat trick and Dennis Yan (Ann Arbor, Mich.) notched two goals.

“This was an important match for us. Our goal is to get the championship, so we needed a win today,” said Derek Plante, head coach of the U.S. Under-18 Select Team. “This is a short tournament, so we have to keep getting better really quickly. Russia has a great team, but we had many power plays, which helped us a lot.”

The first period was fairly even, but Russia struck first at 6:51.

However, the U.S. answered with the equalizer two minutes later when Thomas Novak (River Falls, Wis.) carried the puck low into the slot, passed back to his trailer, Yan, and Yan fired a one-timer past Nikita Kolesnikov.

Not even a minute later, Russia climbed back atop the scoreboard. Late in the period, Russians converted a five-on-three power play to increase its lead, 3-1.

After Team USA cleared its zone, a speedy Yan chased the puck and beat the hesitant goalie with a quick wrist shot to pull Team USA within one goal in the final second of the opening frame.

At 1:27 of the second period, the U.S. took advantage of Russia’s passive defense, allowing Boeser to net his first goal of the game with help from Novak and Yan.

Team USA sustained offensive pressure but took a penalty, resulting in Russia retaking the lead, 4-3, thanks to a power-play goal at 13:43.

Twenty seconds later, Russia committed an infraction and USA scored on the ensuing power play. Boeser put a behind-the-net pass in the top corner for his second goal of the game and pulled the U.S. even with the Russians.

Five minutes into the third period, the U.S. scored its second of four straight goals. Grant Gabriele(Brighton, Mich.) shot a laser from the blue line, which the goaltender never saw, and gave Team USA its first lead of the game, 5-4.

Again on the power play, the U.S. climbed to a 6-4 lead. Boeser grabbed a loose puck lying in front of the net and tapped it in to complete his hat trick.

With 2:42 left in the game, Erik Foley (Mansfield, Mass.) sealed the victory by putting the puck in the top corner on a two-on-one rush for the 7-4 final.

The U.S. Under-18 Select Team continues tournament action tomorrow (Wednesday, Aug. 13) at 9:30 a.m. ET against Finland for a spot in the semifinal round of the Hlinka Memorial Cup. Stayed tuned to USAHockey.com for complete Team USA Hlinka coverage and complete game recaps. Play-by-play for every tournament game is available at eurolivescores.com.

Notes: Yan led all scorers with four points (2-2) today … Boeser (3-0) and Novak (0-3) notched three points apiece … Boeser, Novak and Yan are in the top 10 for tournament scoring. Yan (2-3) and Boeser (4-0) are one and two, respectively.

via U.S. Under-18 Select Team Tops Russia, 7-4, in Hlinka Cup | USA Hockey National.