Team USA takes Five Nations Opener

Team USA U-17 Selects made the trip to Switzerland this week to compete in the Five Nations Cup and started it out with a come from behind 5-4 win against Czech Republic at Arosa, Switzerland.

The Americans never led in the game until Mick Messner, a native of Madison, WI notched the game winner with 8:18 to go with Isaac Johnson of Andover, MN collecting one of the assists. Messner played for the Team Wisconsin Midgets last season and Johnson at Anoka High School

Team USA trailed 2-0 halfway through the opening period but Brannon McManus, from Newport Beach, CA converted a feed from Sasha Chmelevski and gave the team a kick start with a shorthanded marker with 5:55 to go in the opening period. McManus played at Shattuck St. Mary’s last season and Chmelevski is one of three forwards in the program from the Honeybaked AAA Organization.

Jacob Tortora from Victor, NY (Don Mills Flyers — Greater Toronto) pulled the Americans even with his unassisted goal just 2:06 from the end of the opening session.

The Czech’s scored twice in the first 6:25 of the middle frame, but Jack Rathbone from West Roxbury, MA pulled one of them back just over a minute later with assists for Johnson and Ivan Lodnia from Novi, MI (Honebaked).

The Czechs carried the narrow lead into the final period but Chmelevski tied it early in the period from Lodnia and Connor Mayer of Champlin, MN who attended Benilde St. Margaret’s High School last season.

Team USA prepared for the tournament with an exhibition game earlier in the week against the host Swiss team, picking up a 6-3 win.

Chmelevski and Mayer both contributed a goal and assist in the game while Johnson and defenseman Clayton Phillips of Edina, MN (Edina High School) each adding other goals and Wyatt Bongiovanni from Birmingham, MI (Honeybaked) adding an assist. Other goals came from McManus and Jacob McGrew, from Orange CA (LA. Junior Kings).

Team USA will be back in action Friday morning against Slovakia, then plays Switzerland Saturday before wrapping up on Sunday against Germany.

Most of the players on the Team USA roster will move on to play in the USHL this fall.