PLYMOUTH, Mich. – The Tri-City Storm broke a 4-4 tie in the third period and received two-goal performances from Cooper Ernewein and Joseph Hyten to pick up a 7-4 win over the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP) U17 squad on Friday night at USA Hockey Arena. 

Tri-City (5-2-0, 10 pts) has won three straight games. NTDP U17 (1-4-0) has dropped four of its first five matchups to start the year. 

With the Storm down a goal early in the third, Dain Gordon tied the contest with a shot from the left circle of the NTDP zone past Team USA goaltender Colby Arnold. The play started with a feed from Nathan Garski near the end wall. It was Gordon's first career goal with the Storm. 

About five minutes later, Ernewein tallied the game-winning goal to put the Storm ahead 5-4. After fanning on an initial shot attempt in the NTDP slot, Ernewein regained possession of the puck and ripped a shot past Arnold for his second goal of the night. 

Hyten put Tri-City up by two at the 12:41 mark of the third. Following a nifty one-time feed from Nathan Garski at the right point of the NTDP zone, Hyten one-timed a blast past Arnold from the left circle. 

NTDP pulled Arnold in the final minutes of regulation. Tri-City won a puck battle in its zone on the right wing boards. Hyten collected the puck and fired it down the ice into the vacant cage to close the scoring with just over two minutes left. 

The first two thirds of the game were evenly played and high scoring.  

An NTDP unsportsmanlike conduct penalty before opening puckdrop handed Tri-City a power play in the first two minutes of the game. The Storm took advantage with a goal just over 90 seconds into regulation. Ernewein caught a feed from Hyten in front of the USA net and shoved a low shot home on NTDP goaltender Colby Arnold for his third marker of the year. 

NTDP tied the game less than two minutes later. Will LoSauro retrieved a loose puck in the Tri-City crease and slid a shot under the right pad of Storm goaltender Quinn Beumer for his first marker of the year. 

A power play goal put NTDP ahead 2-1 with just under five minutes left in the opening frame. Dean Stevens fired a rapid shot from the right circle of the Storm zone that sailed past Beumer and hit the back bar of the net. 

Tri-City answered back with 17:35 gone by in the first. Aleksandr Sokolov stepped up to pick off an NTDP breakout feed on the right boards of the USA zone. The Brown commit walked alone toward Arnold. After a forehand-backhand move, Sokolov stuffed the puck on Arnold's blocker side for his team-leading eighth goal of the year. 

The Storm jumped back in front at the 5:42 mark of the second period. Arnold allowed a healthy rebound following a pad save on a Dylan Krayer shot from the right wing of the NTDP zone. Jackson Smith, who was near the crease, quickly grabbed the rebound and finished the play for his third goal of the year. 

NTDP evened the contest late in the second. Beumer allowed a pad save rebound from a Maverick McKinnon shot on the right wing. Cameron Evans skated to the loose puck in front of the goal and slid it five hole for his first goal of the year. 

Carter Morris put NTDP ahead 4-3 at the 2:19 mark of the third. While on the power play, Morris slipped a shot through Beumer on the right wing after catching a pass from Joey Cullen. 

Five Storm players finished with multiple points. Hyten (2-1-3) led the way followed by Ernewein (2-0-2), Smith (1-1-2), Dylan Krayer (0-2-2), and Garski (0-2-2). 

Up next: Tri-City closes its two-game series at the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-17 team on Saturday. Puckdrop is set for 5:00 pm CT. The matchup will be broadcast on USAHockeyTV and Storm Radio.