U-17 Selects open Five Nations with big win

Team USA U-17 Selects got the Five Nations Cup tournament off to an awesome start on Thursday (August 24, 2017) at Ostrava, Czech Republic with an 8-1 whipping of the Swiss squad.

It was the Swiss side on the board first 8:42 into the contest but that was the only shot of 16 to elude Ethan Haider, 15, from Maple Grove, MN (Maple Grove High School) before Kyle Chauvette, 15, from New Hampshire (New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs U-16) turned aside all nine of the Swiss chances in the final period.

Arthur Kaliyev, a 16-year-old forward from New York (Hamilton Bulldogs – OHL) pulled the American squad even about four minutes later and the team never looked back, taking the lead for good when Grant Sillianov, a 16-year-old forward from Edina, MN (Shattuck St. Mary’s) hit the mesh late in the period.

The Americans put this one away with five unanswered middle period goals coming from: Robert Mastrosimone, a 16-year-old native of New York (Chicago Steel – USHL); Jake Hale, a 16-year-old forward from Minneapolis, MN (Dubuque Fighting Saints – USHL); Mitch Miller, a 15-year-old defenseman from Sylvania, OH (Honeybaked 16U); Robert Christy, a 16-year-old forward from Saint Paul, MN (St. Thomas Academy) and Josh Groll, a 16-year-old forward from California (Anaheim Junior Ducks 16U).

Groll also added one more in the final period to round out the scoring in a lopsided win for Team USA.

The Americans will move on to play Team Slovakia on Friday (Aug. 25), team Germany on Saturday and wrap up against the host Czech Republic team on Sunday.