Team USA’s Rutger McGroarty led all players in scoring at the Five Nations Tournament in Switzerland.
photo: Chris Tanouye / HHOF-IIHF Images
The United States’ men’s national under-18 team doesn’t have a problem scoring goals. It also can keep the puck out of its net and that combination can prove lethal for Team USA’s opponents.
The Americans scored 30 goals and gave up just five during an impressive and dominant four-game stretch at the Five Nations U18 tournament from 10-14 November in Monthey, Switzerland.
Team USA opened its tournament with a 5-2 win over Sweden, which was the Americans’ closest game of the event. Jimmy Snuggerud had a natural hat trick, Marek Hejduk and Isaac Howard added singles and Tyler Muszelik got the win in net. Logan Cooley had two assists for the winning team. Sweden’s goals came from Tim Almgren and Filip Bystedt.
The United States then faced off against the host Swiss team and got goals from six different players en route to a 7-0 win. Defenceman Seamus Casey scored twice and Frank Nazar, Howard, Hunter Brzustewicz, Rutger McGroarty and Cutter Gauthier scored a goal each for the winning side. Michael Chambre earned the shutout in net.
Team USA really opened the floodgates in their third and fourth games, scoring nine goals in each. Howard had two goals and two assists, Lane Hutson had four helpers and McGroarty, Gavin Brindley and Colley each had three points for Team USA in a 9-1 win over Czech Republic. Adam Dvorak scored for the Czechs.
The Americans’ final game was a 9-2 win over Finland, with Snuggerud getting three goals and an assist, and Cole and Gauthier also each having four-point nights. Jani Nyman scored twice for the Finns.
Sweden finished the tournament in second place at 3-1, with its lone blemish the loss to the Americans. The Swedes beat Switzerland 2-0 on the strength of two goals by Fabian Wagner and a shutout by Lukas Swedin.
Sweden also edged rival Finland 4-3 in a wild game that almost saw the Finns come back from a 4-1 deficit. Elias Salomonsson and Leo Carlsson each scored twice for the winners, with Lenni Hameenaho scoring for Finland and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Kasper Halttunen getting goals in the third for Finland, who was down 4-1 after 40 minutes. In their final game, the Swedes edged Switzerland 3-1.
The Americans scored 30 goals and gave up just five during an impressive and dominant four-game stretch at the Five Nations U18 tournament from 10-14 November in Monthey, Switzerland.
Team USA opened its tournament with a 5-2 win over Sweden, which was the Americans’ closest game of the event. Jimmy Snuggerud had a natural hat trick, Marek Hejduk and Isaac Howard added singles and Tyler Muszelik got the win in net. Logan Cooley had two assists for the winning team. Sweden’s goals came from Tim Almgren and Filip Bystedt.
The United States then faced off against the host Swiss team and got goals from six different players en route to a 7-0 win. Defenceman Seamus Casey scored twice and Frank Nazar, Howard, Hunter Brzustewicz, Rutger McGroarty and Cutter Gauthier scored a goal each for the winning side. Michael Chambre earned the shutout in net.
Team USA really opened the floodgates in their third and fourth games, scoring nine goals in each. Howard had two goals and two assists, Lane Hutson had four helpers and McGroarty, Gavin Brindley and Colley each had three points for Team USA in a 9-1 win over Czech Republic. Adam Dvorak scored for the Czechs.
The Americans’ final game was a 9-2 win over Finland, with Snuggerud getting three goals and an assist, and Cole and Gauthier also each having four-point nights. Jani Nyman scored twice for the Finns.
Sweden finished the tournament in second place at 3-1, with its lone blemish the loss to the Americans. The Swedes beat Switzerland 2-0 on the strength of two goals by Fabian Wagner and a shutout by Lukas Swedin.
Sweden also edged rival Finland 4-3 in a wild game that almost saw the Finns come back from a 4-1 deficit. Elias Salomonsson and Leo Carlsson each scored twice for the winners, with Lenni Hameenaho scoring for Finland and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Kasper Halttunen getting goals in the third for Finland, who was down 4-1 after 40 minutes. In their final game, the Swedes edged Switzerland 3-1.
Belarus continues to impress
Piestany played host to an under-18 men’s 4 Nations tournament and it was Belarus that would come out on top after having already had a strong showing at the U18 Worlds last spring.Similar to the Americans at the event in Switzerland, the Belarusians scored a bunch and gave up but a few. Belarus opened with a 5-0 shutout of Germany, with Yan Shostak stopping all 19 shots in the Belarus net. Leonid Bulgakov, with two, Matvei Ladutsko, Semyon Morshchenok and Matvei Shidlovski scored for Belarus.
The tournament champs also dispatched of Denmark 5-2 (goals by Bulgakov, Danil Karpovich, Arseni Kovgorenya, Yegor Sevko and Dmitri Tukach) and Slovakia 4-0. In the latter game, Shostak got another shutout and Kovgorenya, Vladislav Naumov, Shidlovski and Tukach scored the goals.
A pair of other under-18 men’s tournaments were held from Nov. 11-13. In Szekesfehervar, Slovenia finished with a 3-0 record in a 4 Nations event that also included host Hungary, Austria and Italy. Hungary finished second at 2-1, Austria edged Italy in a shootout 3-2 to finish in third place, with Italy going winless to take fourth.
And in Vaujany, France, the host team went 2-1 in a tournament that included Switzerland, Slovakia and Germany. France earned wins over Germany and Switzerland but lost to Slovakia. The Slovaks went 2-0 by also defeating the Germans.
Scores
| 5 Nations Tournament in Switzerland | ||||
| 10 Nov. | Monthey (SUI) | USA | Sweden | 5-2 |
| 10 Nov. | Monthey (SUI) | Switzerland | Finland | 1-6 |
| 11 Nov. | Monthey (SUI) | Sweden | Czech Rep. | 2-0 |
| 11 Nov. | Monthey (SUI) | USA | Switzerland | 7-0 |
| 12 Nov. | Monthey (SUI) | Sweden | Finland | 4-3 |
| 12 Nov. | Monthey (SUI) | Czech Rep. | USA | 1-9 |
| 13 Nov. | Monthey (SUI) | Finland | Czech Rep. | 5-4 |
| 13 Nov. | Monthey (SUI) | Switzerland | Sweden | 1-3 |
| 14 Nov. | Monthey (SUI) | Finland | USA | 2-9 |
| 14 Nov. | Monthey (SUI) | Czech Rep. | Switzerland | 0-2 |
| Standings: 1. USA 12, 2. Sweden 9, 3. Finland 6, 4. Switzerland 3, 5. Czech Republic 0 | ||||
| 4 Nations Tournament in Slovakia | ||||
| 11 Nov. | Piestany (SVK) | Slovakia | Denmark | 5-1 |
| 11 Nov. | Piestany (SVK) | Belarus | Germany | 5-0 |
| 12 Nov. | Piestany (SVK) | Denmark | Belarus | 2-5 |
| 12 Nov. | Piestany (SVK) | Slovakia | Germany | 1-3 |
| 13 Nov. | Piestany (SVK) | Germany | Denmark | 4-0 |
| 13 Nov. | Piestany (SVK) | Slovakia | Belarus | 0-4 |
| Standings: 1. Belarus 9, 2. Germany 6, 3. Slovakia 3, 4. Denmark 0 | ||||
| 4 Nations Tournament in Hungary | ||||
| 11 Nov. | Szekesfehervar (HUN) | Slovenia | Italy | 4-3 |
| 11 Nov. | Szekesfehervar (HUN) | Hungary | Austria | 4-2 |
| 12 Nov. | Szekesfehervar (HUN) | Austria | Slovenia | 2-4 |
| 12 Nov. | Szekesfehervar (HUN) | Hungary | Italy | 9-0 |
| 13 Nov. | Szekesfehervar (HUN) | Italy | Austria | 2-3 SO |
| 13 Nov. | Szekesfehervar (HUN) | Hungary | Slovenia | 1-4 |
| Standings: 1. Slovenia 9, 2. Hungary 6, 3. Austria 2, 4. Italy 1 | ||||
| 4 Nations Tournament in France | ||||
| 11 Nov. | Vaujany (FRA) | Switzerland | Slovakia | cancelled |
| 11 Nov. | Vaujany (FRA) | France | Germany | 6-3 |
| 12 Nov. | Vaujany (FRA) | Germany | Switzerland | 1-4 |
| 12 Nov. | Vaujany (FRA) | France | Slovakia | 2-3 |
| 13 Nov. | Vaujany (FRA) | Slovakia | Germany | 8-1 |
| 13 Nov. | Vaujany (FRA) | France | Switzerland | 4-1 |
| Standings: 1.Slovakia 6, 2. France 6, 3. Switzerland 3, 4. Germany 0 | ||||