Saturday's box score
PLYMOUTH, Mich. – Will Moore's hat trick and four-point performance helped the U.S. National Team Development Program (18U) grab a 7-5 victory over the Tri-City Storm in an offensive juggernaut on Saturday night at USA Hockey Arena.
The U.S. NTDP 18U team (in USHL play: 9-18-1, 19 pts) has won four straight games. Tri-City (15-15-3, 33 pts) has dropped three of its past four contests.
For the second straight night, NTDP tallied the game's first goal. Drew Shock received a feed from Jake Stuart, then fired a shot through Storm goaltender Kyle Jones' five-hole. Jones, a 2007-born netminder, made his USHL debut on Saturday after joining Tri-City earlier in the week.
NTDP doubled its lead 46 seconds later. After an errant Tri-City pass in the Storm zone, Richard Gallant scooped a loose puck, then ripped a shot top shelf past Jones for his fourth of the season. USA remained with a 2-0 advantage at the first intermission.
Tri-City roared back early in the second period to tie the contest at 2-2. Cam Briere exited the Storm penalty box following the expiration of a slashing minor early in the frame. The Omaha commit immediately received the puck while re-entering the ice for a breakaway toward the NTDP net. Briere slapped the puck past USA goaltender Harrison Boettiger for his seventh of the season.
Less than a minute later, Artemi Nizameyev collected his league-leading 23rd tally of the year to even the game. Nizameyev slid the puck under Boettiger's right pad as Tri-City rushed toward the NTDP cage.
USA re-took its lead on a Donny Bracco goal at the 4:49 mark of the second after Bracco ripped a shot in-tight on Jones.
Tri-City responded around ten minutes later. Easton Pace, a Chesterfield, Michigan native, collected his second of the season on a rapid shot from the slot of the NTDP zone. Pace received the puck from Cole Ward, a Rochester Hills, Michigan native. The USA Hockey arena crowd became noticeably loud after the goal. Each player had several friends and family members in attendance.
NTDP re-took its two-goal lead by the end of the second. Moore added his first of the night at the 16:00 mark of the frame. Stuart found the back of the net 59 seconds later to make it a 5-3 contest after two periods.
Moore tallied the first goal of the third just over five minutes into the period. The Boston College commit shot the puck past Jones after receiving a feed from Drew Schock. The three-goal advantage would be USA's largest of the night.
Tri-City battled back, making the game rather interesting in the final three minutes of regulation. The Storm struck on the power play with 2:30 left in the contest on an Attila Lippai tip-in goal. Carson Pilgrim fed Lippai from the right wing circle. Lippai deflected the puck past Boettiger near the left post, cutting Tri-City's deficit to a pair of goals.
Just 20 seconds later, after pulling Jones from the Storm net for a 6-on-5 advantage, Tri-City reduced its deficit to one. A Nizameyev shot from the right point was tipped in front by Lippai for the St. Thomas commit's second of the night.
The Storm re-pulled Jones but couldn't maintain consistent offensive zone possession thereafter. USA eventually worked the puck to their offensive end with a little less than two minutes remaining. Moore shot the puck in the vacant cage from the right wing boards of Tri-City's zone to complete his hat trick and make it a 7-5 contest.
Aside from Moore's three goal and one assist night, four other USA skaters recorded multiple points. Tri-City's Attila Lippai collected his second multi-point game of the season.
Jones, a UMass-Lowell commit, halted 20 of 26 shots in his USHL debut. Harrison Boettiger stopped 27 of 32 attempts in the NTDP crease.
The Storm have dropped consecutive games for the first time since November 23 (5-3 loss versus Fargo) and November 27 (5-0 loss at Lincoln).
Up next: Tri-City returns to Viaero Center next weekend for a pair of home matchups with the Des Moines Buccaneers. Friday's puckdrop is scheduled for 7:05 pm CT. Saturday's game will begin at 6:05 pm CT.
Pizza Ranch is now sponsoring $5 Kid's Fridays for the rest of the season. The first 50 kid's tickets purchased at the box office for every Friday Storm home game will receive a preloaded $5 gift card to the FunZone arcade located inside of Pizza Ranch in Kearney.
To purchase tickets, visit stormhockey.com, call the Storm at 308-338-8144, or stop by the Viaero Center box office in-person. FunZone Friday tickets are only available in-person at the box office.
