2018 U.S. National Junior Team Game Notes 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship | Buffalo, New York
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2018 U.S. NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM GAME NOTES 2018 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP | BUFFALO, NEW YORK PRE-TOURNAMENT GAME #2 • USA (1-0-0-0) VS. SWEDEN (1-0-0-0) • ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA • ERIE INSURANCE ARENA • DEC. 22, 2017 TONIGHT'S GAME 2018 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP The U.S. National Junior Team faces Sweden in its second and The 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior final pre-tournament game ahead of the 2018 International Ice Championship will take place Dec. 26, 2017 - Jan. 5, 2018, at Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. Puck drop is set the KeyBank Center and HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York. for 7 p.m. ET at Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pennsylvania. The This is the sixth World Junior Championship to be played in game will be live streamed on HockeyTV.com with live updates the United States and second time Buffalo is serving as host avialable on Twitter at @usahockey. (2011). Like this year, the 2011 event saw the U.S. enter the All-time, the U.S. is 14-1-0-15-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) against tournament as the defending gold medalist. In the end, Russia Sweden. The two teams last met in the 2016 event, where the won gold, Canada earned silver and the U.S. claimed bronze. Swedes claimed a 1-0 preliminary round win before a rematch in The U.S. and Canada will make history when the two rivals the bronze medal game, which the U.S. won, 8-3. battle outdoors on Dec. 29, 2017, in a preliminary round game. The U.S. enter the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship as The outdoor game, one of 31 total in the 2018 tournament, will hosts and defending gold medalists while Sweden come into the be staged at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York, home of tournament having reached a medal game in 11 straight World the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Never before has an outdoor game been Junior Championships, earning fourth place three consecutive played at any top-level IIHF world championship. years after silver medals in 2013 and 2014 and gold in 2012. TALKING POINTS TEAM USA SCHEDULE LAST GAME: USA 14, BELARUS 0 (EXHIBITION) DATE OPPONENT TIME (ET) Kieffer Bellows (Edina, Minn.), Josh Norris (Oxford, Mich.) and Riley Tufte (Ham Lake, Minn.) each scored twice as the U.S. WED., DEC. 20 BELARUS (EXH.) W, 14-0 blanked Belarus, 14-0, in Jamestown, New York, in its first pre- Jamestown, N.Y. Northwest Arena tournament game ahead of this year's 2018 IIHF World Junior FRI., DEC. 22 SWEDEN (EXH.) 7 P.M. Championship. Overall, 16 players tallied at least one point and Erie, Pa. Erie Insurance Arena Joseph Woll (St. Louis, Mo.) registered the shutout in the win. WED., DEC. 26 DENMARK 8 P.M. "This was a great team win that, at times, really showed the Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center style of play we want to execute in Buffalo," said Bob Motzko, head coach of the 2018 U.S. National Junior Team. "We’re THURS., DEC. 28 SLOVAKIA 8 P.M. looking for good detail and habits in little parts of our game and I Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center think we can pick a lot of good things out of this game. As a staff, FRI, DEC. 29 CANADA 3 P.M. we have some difficult decisions to make here as we look ahead Orchard Park, N.Y. New Era Field to Sweden on Friday and get closer to finalizing our roster." SUN., DEC. 31 FINLAND 4 P.M. Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center 2018 IIHF WJC: TEAM USA OUTLOOK TUES., JAN. 2 QUARTERFINALS TBD Team USA will face Canada, Denmark, Finland and Slovakia in Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center Group A of this year’s preliminary round. Team USA’s games against Denmark, Finland and Slovakia will be held at the KeyBank THURS., JAN. 4 SEMIFINALS TBD Center while its tilt against Canada will take place outdoors at Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center New Era Field, home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Quarterfinals will FRI., JAN. 5 BRONZE MEDAL GAME 4 P.M. take place at both the KeyBank Center and HarborCenter while Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center the semifinal and medal games will be played at the KeyBank FRI., JAN. 5 GOLD MEDAL GAME 8 P.M. Center. Visit teamusa.usahockey.com/worldjuniors2018 for more. Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center THE JOURNEY TO 23 Exhibition games: HockeyTV.com U.S. tournament games: NHL Network The journey to identifying this year's U.S. National Junior Team PREVIOUS WORLD JUNIORS HELD IN U.S. started in August when 44 U.S. players attended the 2017 World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan at USA Hockey YEAR LOCATION U.S. FINISH Arena. USA Hockey then unveiled its 28-player preliminary roster 2011 Buffalo, N.Y. Bronze on Dec. 5 exclusively on NHL Network's "NHL Now." 2005 Grand Forks, N.D./Thief River Falls, Minn. Fourth Players and staff arrived in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 14, and 1996 Boston, Mass. Fifth that night walked to Nationwide Arena to take in the Metropolitan 1989 Anchorage, Alaska Fifth Division tilt between the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York 1982 Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minn. Sixth Islanders. Zach Werenski (Grosse Pointe, Mich.), who captained the U.S. National Junior Team to a bronze medal at the 2016 MEDIA INFORMATION IIHF World Junior Championship in Helsinki, Finland, opened the All Team USA players or staff will be available for interviews in designated scoring for the Blue Jackets in an eventual 6-4 home victory. mixed-zone areas following games and non-game day practices. Media Starting Dec. 15, the team conducted three days of practices availability on day-of-game skates will be limited. Members of the media at the OhioHealth Ice Haus before skating two days at Nationwide are not allowed in the U.S. dressing room at any time. Arena. After its skate on Dec. 19, the U.S. shifted camp to MEDIA CONTACT: JON GOMEZ Jamestown, N.Y., for three practices and a game versus Belarus. 973.723.5744 [email protected] In its attempt to reach its final 23-player roster, the U.S. has All media availability with U.S. team members must be arranged through so far returned two players to their respective teams, including Jon Gomez, who will be on-site with Team USA throughout the 2018 IIHF defensemen Cole Hults (Stoughton, Wis./Penn State Univ.) on World Junior Championship. Dec. 19 and Reilly Walsh (North Falmouth, Mass./Harvard Univ.) ONLINE MEDIA GUIDE TEAMUSA.USAHOCKEY.COM/WORLDJUNIORS2018 on Dec. 21. The final 23-man roster is expected to be named Dec. 23. Team USA information, including bios, team schedule, news and team history are available at the official website of the U.S. National Junior Team. 2018 U.S. OLYMPIC MEN'S, WOMEN'S, PARALYMPIC SLED ROSTERS PHOTO REQUESTS SYDNEY BLACKMAN On Dec. 19, USA Hockey announced it will reveal the rosters for 623.826.0432 [email protected] the 2018 U.S. Olympic Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey Teams Media interested in photos of Team USA throughout the tournament are and 2018 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team on Jan. 1, 2018, encouraged to visit ImagesOnIce.com for tournament photos. Any other as part of the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field photography requests surrounding the 2018 U.S. National Junior Team in New York City. The roster reveal will take place live in-stadium players and staff should be directed to Sydney Blackman. and on NBC during the second intermission of the 1 p.m. ET tilt SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACT: ANDREW KETTERER between the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres. For more 309.678.0357 [email protected] Olympic and Paralympic details, see page 16. USA Hockey’s social media accounts will provide daily posts of Team USA. For specific social media inquiries, contact Andrew Ketterer. @USAHOCKEY • TEAMUSA.USAHOCKEY.COM/WORLDJUNIORS2018 • USAHOCKEY.COM • #USAWJC 1 2018 U.S. NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM GAME NOTES PRE-TOURNAMENT GAME VS. SWEDEN • DECEMBER 22, 2017 2018 U.S. NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN KEY TEAM USA WJC STATISTICS EXHIBITION GAMES ALL-TIME MEDALS AT WORLD JUNIORS BELARUS Year Medal Coach Result Opp. WJC Series vs. Belarus: 3-0-0-1-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) 2017 Gold Bob Motzko SOW, 5-4 CAN Of Note: Belarus went 4-0-0-1-0 to win last year’s Division I tournament. 2016 Bronze Ron Wilson W, 8-3 SWE DEC. 20, 2017: USA 14, BLR 0: Kieffer Bellows (Edina, Minn.), Josh Norris 2013 Gold Phil Housley W, 3-1 SWE (Oxford, Mich.) and Riley Tufte (Ham Lake, Minn.) each scored twice as the 2011 Bronze Keith Allain W, 4-2 SWE U.S. blanked Belarus, 14-0, in its first pre-tournament game ahead of this 2010 Gold Dean Blaise OTW, 6-5 CAN year's tournament. Joseph Woll (St. Louis, Mo.) registered the shutout. 2007 Bronze Ron Rolston W, 2-1 SWE SWEDEN 2004 Gold Mike Eaves W, 4-3 CAN Series vs. Sweden: 14-1-0-15-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) 1997 Silver Jeff Jackson L, 0-2 CAN Of Note: The U.S. is 5-0 against Sweden in WJC medal games. 1992 Bronze Walt Kyle NA - Round Robin JAN. 5, 2016: USA 8, SWE 3: The U.S. avenged a 1-0 preliminary round setback 1986 Bronze Dave Peterson NA - Round Robin to defeat Sweden in the bronze medal game.