U17's down Switzerland at Five Nations

Jack Rowe (Cary, Ill.) and Zach Stepan (Fairbault, Minn.) each scored twice, as the U.S. Under-17 Select Team defeated Switzerland, 5-3, in Huttwil, Switzerland, today at the 2010 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament. Team USA will face Germany tomorrow (Aug. 22) at 5:00 a.m. EDT in its final game. A regulation win will guarantee the U.S. a first-place finish at the tournament.

"We talked as a team prior to today's game about what we needed to do to win, and we proved successful," said Sean Tremblay, head coach of the U.S. Under-17 Select Team. "We will carry that into tomorrow's game and hopefully take home the championship."

Team USA jumped out to a 1-0 lead five minutes into the first period. A.J. Michaelson (Lakeville, Minn.) sent a feed to Rowe, who split the Swiss defensemen, pulled the puck to his forehand and fired a shot high to the blocker side.

Four minutes into the middle frame, Stepan tipped in Jordan Master's (Rochester, N.Y.) shot from the half boards to put the U.S. up, 2-0. Less than three minutes later, Team USA struck again. Tim Davison (De Pere, Wis.) chipped the puck to Kyle Osterberg (Lakeville, Minn.), who fired a slap shot from the point that was turned aside. But Rowe picked up the rebound and flipped it behind Swiss goaltender Robin Kuonen for his second goal of the game.

Miles Koules (Los Angeles, Calif.) extended Team USA's lead to 4-0 at the 13:34 mark of the second period. While on the power play, Sam Piazza (Darien, Ill.) slipped a pass to Koules, who skated in alone and released a shot that beat Kuonen high to the glove side.

Switzerland reduced its deficit to 4-1 near the end of the second period, but Stepan scored a shorthanded tally three minutes into the third to help the U.S. regain its four-goal advantage. Though the Swiss notched two more goals in the final frame, Team USA held on for the victory.

U.S. goaltender Jimmy Howe (Northville, Mich.) made 32 saves in the win, while Kuonen stopped 23 shots in the loss.

NOTES: Team USA went 1-for-5 on the power play, while Switzerland was 1-for-12 with the man-advantage ... Zach Stepan now leads the U.S. in scoring and in total points (3-3--6) through three games, while Riley Barber (Livonia, Mich.) leads the team with four assists ... Ryan Fitzgerald (North Reading, Mass.) is second in points with five (2-3) ... Eight different players have scored Team USA's twelve tournament goals ... The U.S. currently holds a 2-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) overall record ... There will be Live Scoring and Live Video for Team USA's final game against Germany ... The 2010 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament includes teams from the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States ... Sean Tremblay is serving as head coach and Matt Herr as assistant coach. Tremblay served as the assistant coach for the gold medal-winning U.S. Under-17 Select Team at the 2006 Under-17 Three Nations Tournament in Rochester, N.Y. He serves as general manager and head coach of the Eastern Junior Hockey League's New Hampshire Junior Monarchs. Herr has been the head varsity hockey coach at the Kent School in Kent, Conn., since 2005. Tremblay and Herr are both Level 4 USA Hockey certified coaches ... For the full Team USA roster, visit USAHockey.com ... The U.S. Under-17 Select Team was chosen following the annual USA Hockey Boys' Select 16 Player Development Camp, held June 25-July 1, at the Sports Centre at MCC in Rochester, N.Y. The camp provides top young players with concentrated on- and off-ice training and instruction as well as the opportunity to compete at a national level against other players from their age group.