Team USA Game Notes 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship • Montreal • Bell Centre Team USA (2-1-0-1) vs. Russia (1-1-0-2) Jan. 2, 2015 • 1 p.m. ET • Quarterfinal Team USA Schedule USA Hockey Communications Contact: Dave Fischer Friday, Dec. 19 -- Pre-Tournament Email: [email protected] • Cell: 719.684.5940 at Boston University (visitor/white) W, 5-2 TODAY’S GAME Sunday, Dec. 21 -- Pre-Tournament The United States faces Russia today at Bell Centre (capacity: 21,287) in the quarterfinals of the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. vs. Germany (home/blue) W, 5-2 The game will be broadcast live in the U.S. on NHL Network and Tuesday, Dec. 23 -- Pre-Tournament streamed live on NHL.com. The U.S. and Russia last met in the World vs. Sweden (visitor/blue) W, 10-5 Juniors a year ago, with Russia coming away with a 5-3 win in the Friday, Dec. 26 -- Group A quarterfinals in Malmo, Sweden. vs. Finland (visitor/blue) W, 2-1 SO PREVIOUS QUARTERFINAL GAMES -- The playoff format was Sunday, Dec. 28 -- Group A adopted for the IIHF World Junior Championship beginning in 1996. vs. Germany (home/white-2014) W, 6-0 The U.S. has qualified for the playoffs 18 out of 20 years, including 15 of Monday, Dec. 29 -- Group A the last 16 tournaments. From 1977-95, teams played each other once in vs. Slovakia (home/white-1960) W, 3-0 a round robin format and medals were awarded based on final standings. Team USA is 7-6-0 in 13 previous quarterfinal games in the World Wednesday, Dec. 31 -- Group A Junior Championship. Below is a look at those contests. vs. Canada (visitor/white-2014) L, 3-5 Friday, Jan. 2 -- Quarterfinal 1996 0-3 L Sweden vs. Russia (home/blue) 1:00 p.m. 1997 Bye to semifinal 1998 1-4 L Czech Republic Sunday, Jan. 4 -- Semifinal 1999 Relegation TBD TBD 2000 5-1 W Sweden Monday, Jan. 5 -- Medal Games 2001 1-2 L Canada TBD TBD 2002 1-6 L Russia 2003 4-3 W Czech Republic All games: live on NHL Network U.S. (DirectTV 215, Dish 477), 2004 Bye to semifinal live streamed on NHL.com in U.S. 2005 8-2 W Sweden 2006 2-1 W Czech Republic USA vs. Russia 2007 6-3 W Finland 2008 Bye to semifinal Tale of the Tape 2009 3-5 L Slovakia 2010 6-2 W Finland Category USA Russia 2011 Bye to semifinal Record 2-1-0-1 1-1-0-2 2012 Relegation Goals For/Avg. 14/3.50 13/3.25 2013 7-0 W Czech Republic Goals Against/Avg. 6/1.50 9/2.25 2014 3-5 L Russia Power Play .125 (2-16) .333 (4-12) THE SERIES VS. RUSSIA Penalty Killing .917 (11-12) .714 (10-14) The U.S. is 5-0-0-10-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) all-time against Russia in Shots For Gm/Avg. 164/41.0 109/27.3 the IIHF World Junior Championship. Russia has won the last three Shots Against Gm/Avg. 103/25.8 110/27.5 games between the two teams, including a 5-3 win in the quarterfinals Shorthanded Goals 0 0 a year ago. The last U.S. win was by a 3-2 count in the preliminary Top Scorers Larkin (5-2--7) Leshenko (3-1-4) round in 2007. Team USA is looking for its first win over Russia today Milano (2-2--4) Barbashyov (1-3-4) in a non round-robin or preliminary round game. See series breakdown Eichel (1-2--3) Buchnevich (1-3-4) later in these notes. Fasching (1-2--3) Rafikov (1-2-3) IN GOAL TODAY Thatcher Demko, who was the U.S. Player of the Game vs. Canada THINGS TO KNOW on Wednesday (Dec. 31) with 40 saves, will get the start in goal today. Today marks Day 19 of the journey of the U.S. National Junior He will start for the third straight game and is playing in his fourth Team that began with a team meeting in Boston the night of Dec. game overall in the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. Demko is 15 ... Team USA’s Noah Hanifin and Team Canada’s Connor third in the World Juniors with a 1.31 goals against average and .955 McDavid skated together at a camp in Toronto in late July and save percentage. The San Diego, California, native currently plays keep in regular contact. The two first met at a Boston Bruins at Boston College and is property of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks game ... Three players have points in three of the four games (2014, 2nd round (36)). Demko has a tribute to U.S gold medal goal- in the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship, including Dylan tenders Jack McCartan (1960 U.S. Olympic Team) and Jim Craig Larkin, Sonny Milano and Jack Eichel. Larkin and Milano en- (1980 U.S. Olympic Team) on the back of his mask. Brandon Halv- ter today having at least one point in each of the last three games erson, who stopped all 14 shots in a 6-0 win over Germany on Dec. ... Team USA dined at Baton Rouge last night ... The U.S. had a 28, will serve as the back-up. tour of the Montreal Canadiens dressing room yesterday. Game Notes vs. Russia • Jan. 2, 2015 • Page 2 BITS AND PIECES IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPION- HEAD COACH MARK OSIECKI The U.S. is playing its fourth afternoon SHIP EXPERIENCE contest of the 2015 IIHF World Junior The U.S. has five players with experi- Championship here today. It is 2-1 in the ence in the IIHF World Junior Cham- first three afternoon tilts ... Team USA is pionship, all who played in last year’s the home team today and will wear its event. They are listed below with stats blue jerseys. The U.S. has won its only from the tournament in parentheses. game of the tournament in blue jerseys, that by a 2-1 count in a shootout over D Will Butcher (5GP, 2-3--5) Finland on Dec. 26 to open play in the G Thatcher Demko (0GP) event ... Dylan Larkin leads the tourna- F Jack Eichel (5GP, 1-4--5) Mark Osiecki is serving as head coach ment in goals with five; is tied for second of the U.S. National Junior Team for the in points with seven; and tied for third in F Hudson Fasching (5GP, 2-2--4) plus/minus at +7 ... Anthony DeAngelo D Ian McCoshen (5GP, 0-0--0) first time. enters play today tied for seventh in scor- A three-time assistant coach for the ing among defensemen (1-1--2), while SUCCESS AT U18 WORLDS U.S. National Junior Team, Osiecki helped Noah Hanifin is tied for ninth (0-2--2) ... The United States has medaled in each Team USA capture gold medals in 2010 The U.S. is 3-1 in four previous quarter- of the last 10 IIHF Under-18 Men’s and 2013, plus a bronze medal in 2011. World Championships (7 gold, 2 sil- final games played in Canada in the IIHF Osiecki has had a variety of U.S. coach- World Junior Championship ... For a piece ver, 1 bronze). Team USA has reached ing positions. In 2000, he was head coach on worldjuniors.usahockey.com, Jack the gold medal game in six consecutive Eichel interviewed teammates Thatcher tournaments, claiming gold five times. of the U.S. Under-18 Select Team that Demko, Miles Wood and Nick Schmaltz placed second at the Ivan Hlinka Memori- to get their thoughts on the Montreal Can- Seven players on the 2015 U.S. National al Tournament. He led the U.S. Junior Se- adiens dressing room yesterday following Junior Team helped Team USA to the gold lect Team to a first-place finish at the 1999 the team’s tour of the room ... USA Hock- medal at the 2014 IIHF Under-18 Men’s Freedom Challenge. He was an assistant ey will host the 2015 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, including Ryan coach for the 1999 U.S. Under-18 Select World Championship at HARBORCEN- Collins, Jack Eichel, Dylan Larkin, Team that finished second at the Ivan TER in Buffalo, New York, beginning Auston Matthews, Sonny Milano, Alex Hlinka Tournament. Osiecki also served Jan. 5. The event culminates with the Nedeljkovic and Alex Tuch. medal games on Jan. 12 ... Mike Sullivan, as video coordinator for the 2006 U.S. Men’s National Team at the IIHF Men’s advance scout for Team USA, arrived in Eight players were silver medalists at Montreal yesterday morning and will be the 2013 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World World Championship. with the team through the remainder of Championship, including Will Butcher, Currently, Osiecki is in his second sea- the tournament ... Ray Shero, part of the son as an associate coach for the American player evaluation staff for the 2015 U.S. JT Compher, Thatcher Demko, Jack Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs. National Junior Team, is here in Montreal Eichel, Hudson Fasching, John Hayden, with Team USA. He arrived on Dec. 29. Anthony Louis and Tyler Motte. From 2010-13, Osiecki was head coach of the Ohio State University men’s ice THINGS Additionally, Will Butcher and JT Com- hockey team. He served as an assistant The U.S. has two shutouts to its credit to pher were members of the U.S.